UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

Eugene  E.   Prussing 


-    .  • 


Engraved  by  H.  Wright  Smith.     After  the  Painting  by  Gilbert  Stuart. 
THE  FAVORITE  PORTRAIT  OF  WASHINGTON 


The 


Story-Life  of  Washington 

A  Life-History  in  Five  Hundred  True  Stories, 
Selected  from  Original  Sources 
Fitted  Together  in  Order 


BY 


Author  of 

"The  Story-Life  of  Lincoln," 
Etc. 


With  Reproductions  of  Paintings,  Engravings  and  Manuscripts 


The  John  C.  Winston  Company 
Philadelphia 


COPYRIGHT  1911, 
BY  THE  JOHN  C.  WINSTON  Co 


£ 
312..  IS" 

VWs 


INTRODUCTORY 

Remarks  about  the  Real  Washington 


It  has  long  been  the  fashion  among  those  writing  lives 

<YJ     of  Washington   to  state  that  their  readers  had  never  until 

^     then  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  becoming  acquainted  with 

£;    the  real  George  Washington.   Nearly  every  recent  biographer 

?    has  announced  that  he  was  now  taking  down  the  wooden 

image  called   "Washington"   from  its  high  pedestal  and 

reviving  it,  somewhat  as  the  statue  of  Galatea  became  a 

^    living  woman  before  the  astonished  gaze  of  Pygmalion,  the 

sculptor  who  had  fashioned  her  beautiful  form  in  marble. 

These  resuscitations  have  been  going  on  for  a  generation, 

fc"3  and    several    of   the    so-called    "true"    Washingtons   bear 

hardly  a  family  resemblance  to  one  another,  so  it  is  reason- 

q      able  to  infer  that  some  of  them,  at  least,  have  as  little 

*      likeness  to  the  great  original  himself.     The  variations  in 

7»      the  many  portraitures  are  doubtless  due,  not  to  the  different 

(4i      colofs  of  the  eyes  of  the  several  painters,   but  to  their 

l^'      varying  points  of  view.     Each  of  these  pictures  is  good, 

as  far  as  a  single  full-length  portrait  can  go.     It  is  the 

u_      intention  here  to  avail  ourselves  of  hundreds  of  these  and 

.        focus  them  together  like  a  composite  photograph,  or  rather, 

£=      from  all  sides  and  angles  of  view,   make  a  solid,  living, 

moving  picture  of  George  Washington  and  his  wonderful 

career.     The  well-rounded  result  shall  speak  for  himself, 

as  far  as  possible,  from  his  journals,  letters,  addresses  and 

reported    conversations,  which    have    been    systematically 

recorded    and    carefully    preserved,    apparently,    for    the 

special  benefit  of  the  reader  of  The  Story-Life  of  Washington. 

Where  the  personal  equation  of  the  biographer  cannot 

(xiii) 

279307 


XIV 


be  eliminated  entirely,  this  is  shown  to  be  impossible  and 
the  reader  can  make  his  own  allowances.  The  stories  are 
chosen  with  an  eye  single  to  the  aim  of  letting,  not  mak- 
ing the  observer  see  George  Washington,  as  he  lived  and 
moved  and  had  his  being  in  and  through  the  troublous 
times  in  which  his  life-lot  was  cast.  These  five  hundred 
stories  are  given,  without  comment,  for  the  American 
reader  is  capable  of  drawing  his  own  conclusions  if  he  is 
but  permitted  to  see  things  as  they  were.  This  is  one 
great  advantage  offered  by  the  Story-Life,  for  by  it 
the  present  author  is  enabled,  largely,  to  leave  himself 
out  of  the  narrative.  He  can  shed  many  lights  around  the 
life  and  character  of  this  wonderful  subject,  whereas,  if 
he  held  up  only  the  lantern  of  his  one  limited  view,  he  might 
cast  his  own  shadow  across  the  very  object  he  wishes  to 
show  to  others. 

Still,  it  is  not  an  unmixed  evil,  this  tendency  of  the 
painter  to  paint  himself  upon  his  historic  canvas.  It  is 
equally  natural  for  the  biographer  to  write  his  own  char- 
acter into  the  characterization  of  his  subject.  For  instance, 
"Parson"  Weems  shows  little  George  Washington  to  have 
been  a  small  prig,  and  develops  the  great  George  Washington 
into  a  pompous,  pedantic  sort  of  a  demigod.  But  the 
writer's  personality  may  relieve  and  shed  light,  instead  of 
casting  shadows  upon  the  character  he  portrays.  Mark 
Twain,  in  his  beautiful  story  of  Jeanne  d'Arc  creates  a 
novel  Maid  of  Orleans,  with  a  keen  American  sense  of  humor, 
using  slang  of  such  modern  vintage  as  "ramshackle."  In 
this  way  the  dull  but  devoted  damsel  of  Domremy  is  endowed 
not  only  with  the  ''defects  of  her  own  qualities,"  as  the 
French  say,  but  the  perfections  of  the  author's  qualities. 

Many  writers  still  inveigh  against  the  Rev.  M.  L.  Weems, 
but  their  worst  accusations  seem  to  be  that  he  fiddled,  and 
peddled  his  own  books  from  door  to  door.  As  for  his 
making  out  the  little  Washington  boy  a  prig,  it  should  be 
said  that  all  authors  for  "the  young,"  from  Maria  Edge- 


ABOUT  THE  REAL  WASHINGTON       xv 

worth  down  to  the  father  of  the  "Rollo  books, "  fabricated 
little  prigs  after  the  same  pedantic  pattern  for  the  delecta- 
tion of  their  readers.  As  to  Weems's  painful  attempt  to 
evolve  a  demigod  out  of  his  model  boy,  all  the  authors 
and  orators  of  Weems's  day,  and  even  later,  did  the  same 
with  regard  to  Washington.  The  worst  thing  about  Weems's 
life,  in  the  opinion  of  other  writers,  seems  to  be  that  it 
became  popular,  and  the  apocryphal  stories  in  it  have 
continued  with  us  unto  this  day.  It  is  stated,  on  good 
authority,  that  the  hatchet-and-cherry-tree  incident  did 
not  appear  in  Weems's  "Life  of  Washington"  until  1806, 
and  when  some  one  took  him  to  task  for  making  up  that 
little  story,  he  sweetly  smiled  and  asked,  "  Was  it  not  good 
for  the  boys?"  This  benevolent  bit  of  fiction  seems  to  be 
original  with  Weems,  though  he  was  a  poor  writer,  unless 
the  story  was  really  told  him  by  that  aged  relative,  as  he 
states,  which  is  neither  impossible  nor  unlikely.  At  all 
events,  if  the  parson  errant  made  up  that  story  "out  of 
whole  cloth"  with  criminal  intent,  as  is  often  maintained, 
the  evil  was  overruled  for  good  to  Young  America,  for  the 
cherry-tree  incident  stands  out  in  bold  relief,  as  almost 
the  only  thing  in  the  life  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  that 
the  popular  mind  has  grasped,  aside  from  the  fact,  perhaps, 
that  he  was  a  general  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  the 
first  President  of  the  United  States.  The  hatchet  and 
the  cherries  have  become  symbols  in  the  minds  of  many 
millions,  of  George  Washington  and  truthfulness.  A  French 
traveler  and  litterateur  has  written  that  the  reason  American 
children  have  come  up  with  a  deeper  regard  for  truth 
than  those  of  any  other  nation  under  heaven  is  because 
they  have  been  brought  up  on  the  story  of  the  little  boy 
Washington's  early  regard  for  truth.  Dr.  Edward  Everett 
Hale  claims  that  this  story  is  as  true  as  many  that  are  told 
in  Plutarch's  "Lives." 

The  very  biographers  who  seem  to  have  no  religious 
regard  for  truth  in  the  abstract  have  much  to  say  about 


xvi  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

the  falsity  of  the  story  that  Washington,  at  any  time  in  his 
life,  "could  not  tell  a  lie,"  and  stoutly  claim  that  he  after- 
wards overcame  that  disability — if  he  ever  had  it ! 

It  should  be  remembered  especially  that  "  all  is  fair  in 
love  and  war,"  and  Washington  was  much  in  one  or  the 
other,  or  in  both,  for  he  was  always  attracted  by  a  pretty 
face,  and  was  fond  of  drinking  tea  with  a  "  bevy  of  females. " 
He  was  considered  a  great  ladies'  man,  and  is  said  to 
have  seemed  more  at  his  ease  among  women  than  among 
men — later  in  life,  at  least.  In  his  earlier  days  Washington 
was  shy  and  reserved  with  everybody  but  his  own  family 
and  intimate  friends. 

Once  in  a  while  some  one  evidently  desirous  of  noto- 
riety, cheap .  and  brief,  rushes  into  the  newspapers  with 
so-called  proof  that  George  Washington  perjured  himself, 
on  occasion,  by  swearing  away  a  small  sum  in  taxes.  It  is 
sometimes  stated,  on  the  same  kind  of  authority,  that  John 
Hancock,  Sam  Adams,  and  other  Revolutionary  patriots 
and  leaders,  were  frauds  and  embezzlers,  going  into  the 
rebellion  business  for  what  they  could  get  out  of  it. 
Nothing  could  be  more  ridiculous  or  inane,  for  Hancock, 
as  an  example,  was  a  merchant  prince,  with  much  to  lose, 
in  material  wealth,  and  nothing  to  gain  but  liberty  and 
self-respect.  The  British  discounted  such  stories  of  those 
"rebels"  whom  we  now  call  patriots,  by  discovering  at 
once  that  they  were  rascals  and  guilty  of  all  the  crimes  in 
the  calendar,  besides  being  traitors  and  outlaws. 

Some  of  the  writers  about  Washington  would  like  to 
be  called  iconoclasts,  but  they  are  really  scavengers.  These 
are  the  night-soilers  who  seem  to  enjoy  circulating  unsavory 
tales  about  the  Founder  and  Father  of  his  Country,  and 
who  take  pleasure  in  quoting  Thomas  Carlyle,  the  dyspeptic 
philosopher,  who  took  ghoulish  glee  in  slapping  American 
visitors  in  the  face  with  this  remark:  "Jarge  Washington 
was  no'  a  great  mon!"  Yet,  in  spite  of  the  old  pessimist's 
want  of  perspective,  and  his  consequent  admiration  for 


ABOUT  THE  REAL  WASHINGTON 


xvn 


Napoleon,  Carlyle's  favorite,  was  a  colossal  failure  and 
Washington  became  an  immortal  success.  Napoleon,  at 
close  range,  illustrated  the  Right  of  Might,  while  Washington 
is  demonstrating  to  the  ages  the  Might  of  Right. 

"Seek  and  ye  shall  find"  apparently  applies  to   vices 
as  well  as  virtues.     A  man  is  not  like  a  chain,  only  as  strong 
as  its  weakest   link.     Men   should  be   measured   by  their 
strongest  points.     It  is  unfair  not  only  to  Washington  but 
to  the  American  people  to  disparage  or  explain  away  his 
true  greatness.     It  is  unworthy  and  mean  to  teach  the 
rising  generation  that  young  Washington  earned  a  reputa- 
tion   for   being   close-mouthed   because   he   had   unsightly 
teeth,  and  his  solemnity,  in  later  life,  was  due  to  the  fact 
that   his   "false"    teeth  fell  down  whenever  he  laughed— 
statements  which  bear  only  a  remote  resemblance  to  the 
truth    and    are    more    dange'rous    than    out-and-out    lies. 
The  neighbors  and  friends  of  a  great  man  are  not  the  best 
judges  of  his  greatness.     It  is  stated,  on  good  authority, 
that    Washington's    last    years    were    embittered    by    the 
knowledge  that  if  he  had  allowed  his  name  to  be  used  for 
a  third  term  of  the  presidency,  Virginia,   his  own  State, 
would  not  have  voted  for  him,  though  the  other  twelve 
would  gladly  have  elected  him  again.     With  a  great  man  it 
is  as  with  a  high  mountain,  a  low  hill  viewed  from  a  nearer 
point  may  hide  the  loftiest  peak.     There  are  still  living 
in  Springfield,  Illinois,  men  who  "knew  Lincoln,"  yet  they 
are  eager  to  tell  any  newcomer  that  there  were  a  dozen 
greater  men  right  in  Springfield  when  Abraham  Lincoln 
only  happened  to  be  nominated  and  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency. 

A  Scotch  neighbor,  Davie  Burns,  who  had  owned  the 
field  in  which  Washington  was  superintending  the  building 
of  "the  President's  palace, "  and  had  sold  much  of  his  land 
for  the  site  of  the  national  capital,  gave  expression  to  a 
warped  and  petty  estimate  of  the  greatness  of  the  Father 
of  his  Country  one  day,  when  Washington  called  to  remon- 


xviii  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

strate  with  him  about  hindering  the  hauling  of  stone  across 
his  land  from  the  river  landing  to  the  place  where  the 
"palace"  was  in  process  of  erection.  The  former  President 
reminded  the  peppery  little  Scotchman  that  the  building  of 
the  President's  house  and  of  the  "Federal  City"  there 
had  been  the  making  of  David  Burns,  and  but  for  that 
the  disobliging  Scot  would  still  be  a  poor  tobacco  planter. 
Old  Davie's  "  Scotch"  was  up  in  an  instant. 

"Aye,  mon, "  he  retorted,  "an'  what  yould  you  have 
bean,  Meesther  Washington,  if  ye  hadn'  merried  the  Widdy 
Coostis  an'  all  her  naygurs?  Ye'd  'a'  bean  a  land  surveyor 
the  day,  an'  a  mighty  puir  ane  a'  that!1' 

Cranky  old  Davie  Burns 's  notion  must  have  been  a 
novel  one  to  Washington,  but  it  was  not  so  strange  as  the 
misconceptions  of  his  character  expressed  in  some  of  the 
many  histories,  stories  and  articles  on  Washington.  Weems's 
maudlin  ideas  have  been  referred  to.  Sparks 's  editing  the 
human  life  out  of  Washington's  correspondence,  to  make 
him  a  model,  did  much  toward  making  him  a  wooden 
image  instead. 

Little  is  known  of  Washington's  mother.  Most  writers, 
assuming  that  he  got  his  greatness  from  his  mother, 
try  to  "restore"  her  whole  life  from  incomplete  fragments, 
as  the  scientists  reconstruct  a  whole  animal  of  which  they 
have  found  a  single  joint.  They  reason  in  a  circle,  evidently 
saying  to  themselves,  "He  must  have  gqt  his  greatness 
from  his  mother,  therefore  she  was  a  grand  woman,  and 
had  a  mighty  influence  in  moulding  his  great  character, 
so  he  must  have  resembled  his  mother,  therefore  his  mother 
must  have  looked  like  her  illustrious  son."  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  Washington  himself  claimed  to  resemble  his  father 
in  appearance  and  character. 

Mary  Washington's  too  narrow  devotion  to  her  eldest 
son  would  have  interfered  with  his  grand  career  if  he  had 
always  heeded  her  wishes.  Though  obedient  to  and  con- 
siderate of  her,  the  time  came  when  the  call  of  his  country 


ABOUT  THE  REAL  WASHINGTON  xix 

was  stronger  than  his  mother's.  Late  in  life  her  com- 
plaints that  he  neglected  her  were  a  grief  and  annoyance  to 
him,  especially  when  she  persisted  in  accepting  financial 
aid  from  people  who  were  no  relation  to  her,  by  giving  the 
impression  that  she  was  in  needy  circumstances,  after  she 
had  been  amply  provided  for  by  her  celebrated  son.  On 
several  occasions  George  mildly  expressed  his  displeasure 
at  this  trait  of  his  mother's,  in  letters  to  his  brother  and 
sister.  But  the  annoyance  he  felt  did  not  warrant  a  recent 
writer  in  making  Washington  give  vent  at  every  turn,  in 
a  supposed  biography,  to  sarcastic  reflections  on  his  mother 
— years  after  her  death!  Whatever  provocation  Mary 
Washington  may  have  given  her  son,  such  pettishness  in 
his  attitude  toward  his  mother  was  entirely  out  of  character. 

In  gathering,  from  a  hundred  sources,  largely  from 
the  many  admirable  biographies  extant,  over  five  hundred 
stories,  some  of  which  have  never  been  in  print,  it  is  the 
intention  to  show  Washington  in  many  lights,  but  to  keep 
the  resultant  impression  in  a  temperate  middle  ground, 
while  a  few  extravagant  conceits  are  inserted  to  show  the 
absurd  lengths  to  which  some  writers  have  permitted  them- 
selves to  go,  somewhat  as  a  theologian  might  flash  certain 
" side-lights  from  profane  history"  upon  a  Scriptural  nar- 
rative. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  Washington  had  a 
broad  sense  of  humor.  He  greatly  enjoyed  jests,  some- 
times good-natured  practical  jokes,  and  generally  welcomed 
a  chance  to  laugh.  It  is  said  that  even  during  the  "long 
and  dreary  winter"  at  Valley  Forge,  he  found  relief  now 
and  then  from  the  sadness  and  misery  of  his  environment 
in  hearty  laughter.  He  showed  a  disposition  to  make 
the  best  of  everything,  even  to  laughing  until  the  tears 
rolled  down  his  cheeks  over  the  sallies  of  his  adopted 
children  and  friends  who  visited  Mount  Vernon.  He  made 
many  gibes  himself  at  the  expense  of  a  certain  "blue- 
blooded"  jackass  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  the 


xx  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

king   of   Spain, — sometimes   comparing   the    solemn   little 
beast  to  his  former  owner,  the  king  himself ! 

A  good  story  is  told  ~of  two  judges,  Washington's 
nephew,  Bushrod,  and  John  Marshall,  long  Chief  Justice 
of  the  United  States,  who  came  to  pay  the  Washingtons 
a  visit  of  respect.  Not  wishing  to  present  themselves, 
travel-stained  and  dusty,  at  Mount  Vernon,  they  turned 
aside  into  a  grove  on  the  estate  to  change  their  clothing 
throughout.  When  they  were  completely  stripped,  their 
colored  body-servant  opened  the  portmanteau  to  give 
them  their  changes  of  raiment,  but  found  nothing  for  them 
to  put  on  but  an  assortment  of  tape,  needles,  thread,  fancy 
soaps,  perfumery  and  the  like.  The  man  had  exchanged 
packs  with  a  peddler  at  the  last  inn.  The  consternation  on 
the  servant's  countenance  and  the  absurdity  of  their  predica- 
ment set  the  two  visitors  laughing  at  each  other.  The 
master  of  Mount  Vernon,  who  happened  to  be  near,  came 
at  once  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  this  merriment.  Recog- 
nizing the  dignified  members  of  the  judiciary  in  the  undress 
of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  dancing  about  in  his  grove  like  a 
pair  of  satyrs,  hiding  among  the  trees,  and  comprehend- 
ing at  a  glance  their  ludicrous  plight,  Washington,  the 
solemn  and  austere,  was  so  overcome  that  he  threw  him- 
self upon  the  ground  and  rolled  over  and  over,  holding 
his  sides,  convulsed  and  shrieking  with  uncontrollable 
laughter ! 

This  is  wholly  at  variance  with  the  popular  notion  of 
the  distant,  cold,  and  taciturn  First  President  of  the  United 
States.  Story  after  story  is  to  be  found  in  this  collection 
illustrating  Washington's  warm-heartedness  and  hospitality. 
In  a  letter  he  mentioned  the  fact  that  he  and  his  wife  would 
have  to  sit  down  to  dinner  that  day  without  a  guest,  the 
-first  time  in  twenty  years.  One  visitor  at  Mount  Vernon 
tells  of  his  astonishment,  after  retiring  for  the  night,  to  see 
the  stately  form  of  George  Washington  enter  the  room, — 
looking  more  gigantic  than  ever  because  clothed  in  his 


ABOUT  THE  REAL  WASHINGTON  xxi 

nightshirt — coming  to  bring  his  guest  a  cup  of  hot  tea  for 
his  cold,  about  which  the  host  was  most  solicitous,  though 
Washington  would  never  take  anything  for  a  cold  himself. 

These  glimpses  of  his  humanity,  hospitality  and  humor 
are  agreeable  and  refreshing,  helping  us  to  understand 
and  love  him  as  we  learn  to  know  the  real  Washington. 
Although  he  was  not,  himself,  like  Lincoln,  a  master  story- 
teller, the  greatest  writers  of  history  and  fiction  have 
related  many  thrilling  and  beautiful  stories,  and  have 
narrated  much  that  is  full  of  keen  and  lively  interest  about 
the  Father  of  his  Country.  From  Washington's  own 
diaries,  which  he  faithfully  kept  nearly  all  his  life,  his 
letters,  his  addresses  and  state  papers,  much  good  material 
has  been  drawn  which  should  reveal  the  actual  life  of 
Washington. 

The  Story-Life  of  Washington  is  designed  to  give  true 
views  of  the  First  American  from  every  point  of  vantage, 
leaving  the  reader  to  see  and  feel  and  know  the  great 
Washington.  This  is  presented  as  a  life,  and  not  a 
libel  on  that  great  and  good  man, — "first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen."  There 
are  many  questions  about  which  historians  do  not  agree. 
But  "when  doctors  disagree,  who  shall  decide?"  After  all 
the  facts  and  facets  of  his  character  are  presented  and 
illuminated,  who  shall  be  better  able  to  recognize  the  real 
George  Washington  than  the  reader  himself? 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PART  I 


PAGE 

Introductory  Remarks  about  the  Real  Washington xiii 

List  of  Illustrations xxxi 

CHAPTER  I 
Washington's  Antecedents : i 

Stories:-, — Genealogy  of  the  Washington  Family — Early  Ancestry 
of  Washington's  Mother — Two  Ancestral  Homes — Some 
Ancestral  Fighters — Part  of  His  Pedigree — American  Ances- 
try— Two  Letters  about  a  Mary  Ball — Mary,  the  Mother  of 
Washington — Conjectures  about  Washington's  Father  and 
Mother — Mary  Washington's  First  Home. 

CHAPTER  II 
George  and  His  Father 2& 

Stories: — His  Birth — Parson  Weems — Little  George  and  the  Sin 
of  Selfishness — The  Moral  and  Entertaining  Story  of  the 
Little  Hatchet — The  Father's  True  Moral  Stature — What 
George's  "  Pa  "  Did  to  Startle  Him — Giving  up  the  Leading- 
rein — Little  George  Washington — "Advantages"  George 
Was  Spared — Schools  in  Virginia — Peter  and  ' '  Hobby  " — 
His  Earliest  Playfellows — George  Tells  His  Father  What 
He  Hopes  to  Be — 'Two  Boyish  Letters — Brother  Lawrence — 
The  Fairfax  Family — "I  Lost  My  Best  Friend" — Table  of 
Events,  1732  to  1752. 

CHAPTER  III 
George  and  His  Mother 42 

Stories: — The  Widow  and  Her  Brood — Work  on  "Ferry  Farm" 
— His  First  .Hunt — Three  Important  Years — In  Mr. 

(xxiii) 


*xiv  CONTENTS 


Williams's  School — George  and  the  Younger  Children — 
Early  Education  and  Discipline — Why  George  Was  Not 
Sent  to  School  in  England — A  Little  Latin — ' '  Mute  as  Mice" 
before  Mary  Washington — The  Rev.  James  Marye  and  the 
"Rules  of  Civility" — "Rules  of  Civility  and  Behaviour" — 
Long  Suspense  after  Writing  to  Uncle  Joseph  about 
George's  Going  to  Sea — A  Bitter  Disappointment — Uncle 
Joseph's  Letter — How  He  Gave  It  All  up — How  George 
"Jolted  It  off. " 

CHAPTER  IV 
George  and  the  Fairfax  Family 67 

Stories: — Lord  Fairfax's  Friendship  for  Young  Washington — 
Fox-hunting  with  Lord  Fairfax — Encouraged  to  Take  up 
Surveying — A  Full-length  Portrait  of  Washington  at  Six- 
teen— Two  Georges  Go  Surveying — He  Went  in  a  School- 
boy and  Came  out  the  First  Soldier  in  the  Colonies — 
From  Washington's  First  Journal — How  Lord  Fairfax  Read 
Washington's  First  Journal — Conflicting  Claims  to  the 
Ohio  Country — Labored  Love  Lines — "I  Used  Often  to 
Wish  He  Would  Talk  More " — County  Surveyor  at 
Seventeen. 

CHAPTER  V 
George  and  His  Brother  Lawrence Si 

Stories: — "They  Mean  to  Steal  Our  Country" — The  Ohio  Com- 
pany Sends  Christopher  Gist — "A  Most  Delightful 
Country" — Major  Washington's  Broadsword  Practice 
Interrupted — Arrival  of  the  Washington  Brothers  at 
Barbadoes — "Beefsteak  and  Tripe"  Club,  "George  Barn- 
well,  "  and  Smallpox — Lawrence  ' '  Hurrying  Home  to  His 
Grave! " — The  Home-coming — The  Art  of  War  and  Manual 
of  Arms — The  Unmarried  Master  of  Mount  Vernon. 

.       CHAPTER  VI 
A  Difficult  and  Dangerous  Mission py 

Stories: — The  Youthful  Envoy — Receiving  His  Instructions — 
Governor  Dinwiddie's  Letter  to  the  French  Comman- 
dant— George,  Van  Braam  and  Gist  Set  out — Going  on 


CONTENTS  xxv 


PAGE 

from  Williamsburg — The  Indian  Council  at  Logstown — 
From  Logstown  to  Venango — Drink  and  Diplomacy — A 
Week  from  Washington's  Diary — The  French  Comman- 
dant's Reply — A  Man  of  Action  and  Real  Silence — What 
Governor  Dinwiddie  Did. 

CHAPTER  VII 
The  Opening  of  His  Military  Career 116 

Stories: — Beginning  of  the  Journal  of  1754 — The  Half- king's 
Speech  and  Belts — A  Council  of  War — Washington's  Speech 
and  Belt  to  the  Half-king  and  the  Reply — Captain  Trent 
Loses  the  Strategic  Point — ' '  I  Would  Prefer  the  Toil  of  a 
Daily  Laborer" — The  March  to  Great  Meadows — His  First 
Victory — Washington's  Account  of  the  Attack  near  Great 
Meadows  and  His  Defense  of  It — "That  I  Know  to  Be 
False ! " — A  Prologue  of  the  Revolutionary  Drama — 
"Snatching  Victory  from  the  Jaws  of  Defeat" — The 
Articles  of  Capitulation — End  of  His  First  Campaign — 
"The  Same  Identical  Gent" — "The  Season  Calls  for 
Despatch" — The  First  Blow  of  the  Seven  Years'  War — 
"All  is  Fair  in— War" — The  Only  Course  Possible. 

CHAPTER  VIII 
Through  the  Campaign  with  Braddock 141 

Stories: — The  Young  Commander  and  the  Pig-headed  Gover- 
nor— Serious  Troubles  and  Petty  Annoyances — Washington, 
Franklin  and  General  Braddock — General  Braddock's  Aide- 
de-camp — In  the  Battle  at  Fort  Duquesne — A  Description 
of  the  Battle — His  Hatred  of  Cowardice — ' '  Unite  or  Die!  " — 
Denies  "Grossly  Exaggerated"  Report  of  His  Death — 
"I  Could  Offer  Myself  a  Willing  Sacrifice" — Close  of  His 
Career  as  a  Frontier  Fighter. 

CHAPTER  IX 
The  Young  Colonel  Goes  Courting 156 

Stories: — The  Colonel  of  the  Colony — How  Colonel  Washington 
"Took"  Boston — The  Handsome  Colonel  Rode  away  to 
Boston  Town — A  Chain  of  Forts  and  the  Gentlemen 
Associators — Big  George  Washington — Broken  in  Health— 


xxvi  CONTENTS 


A  Brief  but  Courtly  Courtship — "A  Few  Words"  to  His 
Affianced — "The  Story  of  an  Untold  Love" — The  Fall  of 
Fort  Duquesne — Elected  to  the  House  of  Burgesses — Table 
of  Events,  1750  to  1760. 

CHAPTER  X 
The  Wealthy  Planter  of  Mount  Veraon 168 

Stories: — The  Sunshine  and  Glitter  of  the  Wedding  Day — 
Married  Life  at  Mount  Vernon — Taking  Charge  of  the 
Custis  Estate — A  Kind  and  Indulgent  Stepfather — Life  of 
a  Virginia  Planter — Manufacturer  and  Fisherman  as  Well 
as  Farmer — Where  to  Build  the  New  Church — Pleasantest 
Glimpses  of  Family  Feeling — Beating  a  Rascally  Poacher — 
A  Facetious  Letter — A  Manly,  Wholesome,  Many-sided 
Life — The  Outer  Man — Social  Diversions  and  the  Dismal 
Swamp  Company — Table  of  Events,  1760  to  1770. 

CHAPTER  XI 
The  Virginia  Colonel  and  the  Coming  Conflict 187 

Stories: — The  Stamp  Act  and  Patrick  Henry — The  Grand 
Sachem's  Prophecy — ' '  Our  Lordly  Masters  in  Great  Britain" 
— "Catch  a  Man  before  You  Hang  Him" — Feasting  and 
Fasting — Washington  Presents  Resolutions — "More  Becom- 
ing a  Turkish  Bashaw ' ' — The  Silent  Man  Becomes  Eloquent 
— "An  Innate  Spirit  of  Freedom" — "An  Appeal  to  Arms 
and  the  God  of  Hosts" — "A  Mere  Potomac  Planter" — 
In  Front  of  Carpenters'  Hall — "A  Brother's  Sword  Sheathed 
in  a  Brother's  Breast" — The  News  Received  in  Philadel- 
phia— Lee  and  Gates  Visit  Mount  Vernon — "  I  Now  Nomi- 
nate George  Washington,  of  Virginia  " — Colonel  Washington 
Elected  Commander-in-chief — Washington's  Commission  as 
Commander-in-chief — Table  of  Events,  1770  to  1775. 

CHAPTER  XII 
Commander-in-chief  and  Raw  Recruits 211 

Stories: — "A  Subject  Which  Fills  Me  with  Inexpressible  Con- 
cern"— Brave  Exploits  of  Commodore  Whipple — "The 
Feeble  Americans  Could  Scarce  Keep  up  with  Them!" — 
Few  Men  but  Many  Heroes — Left  Home,  Wife,  Friends, 


CONTENTS  xxvii 


PAGE 

Fortune,  and  Security,  for  the  Risks  of  a  Rebel — "The 
Liberties  of  the  Country  Are  Safe!  " — A  King  of  Men — The 
Foremost  Man  in  America — The  Noblest  Man  of  His  Day — 
The  Virginia  Fox-hunter  and  the  New  England  Farmers — 
"Their  Spirit  Has  Exceeded  Their  Strength" — "General 
Gage,  Take  Care  of  Your  Nose!" — "Most  Unsoldier-like  in 
Figure — "An  Egregious  Want  of  Public  Spirit" — The 
Ministers  Who  Provoked  and  Prolonged  the  Revolution — 
Provisions,  Discipline,  Ammunition  Scarce — Scouring  the 
Country  for  Powder — Trials  with  Friend  and  Foe — "Old 
Put "  and  the  Fat  Woman — ' '  Seized  Two  Brawny  Riflemen 
by  the  Throat" — Some  Relaxation  and  a  "Handsome  Lift" 
— Table  of  Events  in  1775. 

CHAPTER  XIII 
Driving  the  British  out  of  Boston , 239 

Stories: — Raising  the  Grand  Union  Flag  on  New  Year's  Day, 
1776 — Not  the  Stars  and  Stripes — "Obliged  to  Conceal  It 
from  My  Own  Officers " — The  Blockade  of  Boston — "It  Is 
a  Noble  Cause" — "When  the  Dreadful  'Tomorrow'  Will  Be, 
I  Know  Not" — "With  the  Expedition  of  Genii" — "Evac- 
uate the  Place  as  Soon  as  Possible  " — A  British  Burlesque 
Turned  to  Melodrama — "There  Never  Existed  a  More  Mis- 
erable Set  of  Beings!" — The  British  Sentry  Was  a  Dummy 
— "The  Face  of  Disorder  and  Confusion" — "It  Takes  the 
Ragged  Boys  to  Do  The  Fighting" — "No  Man  Ever  Com- 
manded under  More  Difficult  Circumstances" — "Execrable 
Parricides! " 

CHAPTER  XIV 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence .  .    259 

Stories: — The  Commander-in-chief  Invited  to  Confer  with  Con- 
gress— Going  to  Philadelphia — Consulting  with  Congress 
on  the  Coming  Campaign — Attended  by  Indians,  Washing- 
ton Reviews  the  Troops — General  Washington  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes — Ordering  the  Flag  Made — Stars  .  and 
Stripes  Not  from  Washington's  Coat-of-arms — Drawing 
up  and  Discussing  the  Declaration — A  Badly  Armed,  Undis- 
ciplined, Disorderly  Rabble — Conspiracy  to  Kill  or  Kidnap 
Washington — "A  Most  Barbarous  and  Infernal  Plot" — 
In  a  Board  of  Treasury,  Flying  Camp,  and  Barn  Hos- 


xxviii  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

pital — How  the  Declaration  Was  Received  in  New  York 
— Statue  of  George  III  Melted  into  Bullets — "The  Times 
That  Try  Men's  Souls"  —  "Unpack  His  Heart  with 
Words?" — "George  Washington,  Esq.,  etc.,  etc." 

CHAPTER  XV 
Defeats  and  Retreats 278 

Stories: — General  Howe  Turns  the  Tables — The  Masterly  Retreat 
from  Long  Island — In  a  Tempest  of  Anger  at  Kip's  Bay — 
"No  Time  for  the  Army  to  Lose  Their  General" — "I  Can 
Only  Regret  That  I  Have  but  One  Life" — A  Short,  Sharp 
Action  at  White  Plains — "If  We  Do  Meet  Again — Why, 
We  Shall  Smile" — "Perhaps  to  Lose  My  Character" — 
Six  Weeks  after  the  Battle  of  Long  Island — The  British 
Take  Fort  Washington — Who  Would  Have  Blamed  Him?— 
A  Letter  to  the  Mother  of  Mary  Philipse — Sharing  His 
Blanket  with  a  Negro  Servant. 

CHAPTER  XVI 
"Hurt  in  the  House  of  His  Friends" 296 

Stories: — When  the  Friend  of  His  Bosom  Could  So  Misjudge  Him 
— "Made  a  Prisoner  by  a  Brat!" — "Opened  by  Mistake," 
by  George  Washington — The  "Marine  Turtle  "  and  Admiral 
Howe's  Flagship — Facing  the  Grim  Realities  Alone — 
The  Capture  of  General  Charles  Lee — ' '  By  His  Own  Folly 
and  Imprudence  " — A  View  of  the  Situation — The  Most 
Hopeless  Gang  of  Tramps — "For  Heaven's  Sake,  Keep 
This  to  Yourself!"— "What  a  Time  Is  This  to  Hand  Me 
Letters!" 

CHAPTER  XVII 
Trenton  and  the  Turn  of  the  Tide 309 

Stories: — "Advance  and  Charge!" — Colonel  Rahl's  Fatal  Game — 
"A  Smiling  Expression  on  His  Countenance" — Washing- 
ton's Report  of  the  Battle  of  Trenton — Table  of  Events 
in  1776 — "George  Will  Not  Forget  Himself" — "Intrusted 
with  Almost  Unlimited  Power" — Robert  Morris  Raises 
Some  "Hard  Money" — Horse  Lovers  and  Heroes — "The 
Old  Fox"  and  the  Battle  of  Princeton — "Thank  God!  Your 


CONTENTS  xxix 


Excellency  Is  Safe!" — Washington's  Report  of  the  Battle 
of  Princeton — Troubles  about  Allegiance  and  Rank — 
Washington's  Proclamation — A  Sarcastic  Reply  to  the 
Howes'  Proclamation  of  Pardon — Washington  Had  Taken 
Howe's  Measure. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
Brandywine  and  Germantown 328 

Stories: — Waiting  at  Morristown — Remained  Standing  through- 
out the  Whole  Service — "Try  Me!" — The  General's  Narrow 
Escape — Washington  Weeps  — No  Money  for  His  Men — 
Defeat  at  Chad's  Ford,  Brandywine  Creek — Report  of  the 
Battle  of  Brandywine — A  Small  Defeated  Army  Defies  the 
Victor — A  Drunken  General  at  Germantown — Fighting  in 
Fog — "You  Will  Fire  upon  Your  Own  People!" — Holding 
up  Their  Empty  Cartridge  Boxes — Heroic  General  Nash — 
How  the  Battle  Was  Lost — "Ah,  These  Americans  Are  an 
Elastic  People!" 


For  additional  contents  see  Part  II,  fol- 
lowing page  345. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PART  I 


The  Favorite  Portrait  of  Washington Frontispiece 

Washington's  Autographs  at  Different  Periods Facing  Page  45 

Fox-hunting  with  Lord  Fairfax "  "  69 

Major  George  Washington "  "  IQI 

Washington's  First  Encounter,  near  Great  Meadows.  "  "  125 
Colonel  Washington  Introduced  to  Mary  Philipse,  the 

New  York  Heiress "  "  159 

Colonel  Washington  Visits  Mrs.  Custis "  "  163 

Mrs.  Martha  Dandridge  Custis  Washington "  "  169 

Miniature  Portrait  of  Colonel  Washington "  "  186 

Captain  Abraham  Whipple  Attacks  the  "Gaspe*e  " .  .  .  .  "  "  192 

"The  Embattled  Farmers"  on  Concord  Bridge "  "  202 

General  Ethan  Allen  Demands  the  Surrender  of  Fort 

Ticonderoga "  "  2 10 

The  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill .' "  "  216 

Portraits  of  Four  Generals  Besieging  Boston:  Morgan, 

Ward,  Putnam,  and  Knox "  "  224 

"  Seizing  Two  Brawny  Riflemen  by  the  Throat" "  "  236 

Arrival  of  General  Knox  with  Cannon  from  Ticonderoga  "  "  242 

Sir  William  Howe  and  the  British  Leaving  Boston.. .  .  "  "  254 
Announcing  the  Declaration  of  Independence  from  the 

Steps  of  Independence  Hall "  "  272 

Lord  Stirling  at  the  Battle  of  Long  Island .  "  "  280 

Portraits  of  Three  British  Commanders:  Sir  William 

Howe,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  Lord  Cornwallis.  "  292 

Washington  after  Crossing  the  Delaware 3°8 

An  Early  Morning  Battle  at  Trenton ".  3*4 

"The  Day  Is  Our  Own! "  (Battle  of  Princeton) "  "  320 

Attacking  the  Chew  Mansion,  in  the  Battle  of  German- 
town  ,,                                            "  "  340 


(xxxi) 


The   Story-Life  of   Washington 


CHAPTER  I 

WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS 

Genealogy  of  the  Washington  Family 

The  Washington  family  is  of  ancient  English  stock, 
the  genealogy  of  which  has  been  traced  up  to  the  century 
immediately  succeeding  the  Conquest.  At  that  time  it 
was  in  the  possession  of  landed  estates  and  manorial  priv- 
ileges in  the  county  of  Durham,  such  as  were  enjoyed  only 
by  those  or  their  descendants,  who  had  come  over  from 
Normandy  with  the  Conqueror,  or  fought  under  his  standard. 
When  William  the  Conqueror  laid  waste  the  whole  country 
north  of  the  Humber,  in  punishment  of  the  insurrection  of 
the  Northumbrians,  he  apportioned  the  estates  among  his 
followers,  and  advanced  Normans  and  other  foreigners  to 
the  principal  ecclesiastical  dignities.  One  of  the  most 
wealthy  and  important  sees  was  that  of  Durham.  .  .  . 

The  princely  prelate  of  Durham  had  his  barons  and 
knights,  who  held  estates  of  him  on  feudal  tenure,  and 
were  bound  to  serve  him  in  peace  and  war.  .  .  .  - .  . 

Among  the  knights  who  held  estates  in  the  palatinate 
on  these  warlike  conditions  was  William  de  Hertburn,  the 
progenitor  of  Washington.  His  Norman  name  of  William 
would  seem  to  point  out  his  national  descent;  and  the 
family  long  continued  to  have  Norman  names  of  baptism. 
The  surname  of  De  Hertburn  was  taken  from  a  village  in 
the  palatinate,  which  he  held  of  the  bishop  in  knight's  fee; 
probably  the  same  now  called  Hartburn,  on  the  banks  of 

(i) 


THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


the  Tees.  It  had  become  a  custom  among  the  Norman 
families  of  rank,  about  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  to  take 
surnames  from  their  castles  or  estates;  it  was  not  till  some 
time  afterwards  that  surnames  became  generally  assumed 
by  the  people. 

How  or  when  the  De  Hertburns  first  acquired  posses- 
sion of  their  village  is  not  known.  They  may  have  been 
companions  in  arms  with  Robert  de  Brus  (or  Bruce),  a 
noble  knight  of  Normandy,  rewarded  by  William  the 
Conqueror  with  great  possessions  in  the  North,  and  among 
others,  with  the  lordships  of  Hert  and  Hertness  in  the 
county  of  Durham. 

The  first  actual  mention  we  find  of  the  family  is  in  the 
"Bolden  Book,"  a  record  of  all  the  lands  appertaining  to 
the  diocese  in  1183.  In  this  it  is  stated  that  William  de 
Hertburn  had  exchanged  his  village  of  Hertburn  for  the 
manor  and  village  of  Wessyngton.  .  .  ".'  The  family 
changed  its  surname  with  its  estate,  and  thenceforward 
assumed  that  of  De  Wessyngton. 

When  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  put  everything  at  pawn 
and  sale  to  raise  funds  for  a  crusade  to  the  Holy  Land,  .  . 
the  De  Wessyngtons  might  have  followed  the  banner  of  St. 
Cuthbert  to  the  holy  wars. 

Nearly  seventy  years  afterwards  we  find  the  family 
still  retaining  its  manorial  estate  in  the  palatinate.  The 
names  of  Bondo  de  Wessyngton  and  William  his  son  appear 
on  charters  of  land,  granted  in  1 2  5  7  to  religious  houses.  .  . 
On  the  list  of  loyal  knights  who  fought  for  their  sovereign 
in  the  disastrous  battle  of  Lewes  (1264),  in  which  the  king 
was  taken  prisoner,  we  find  the  name  of  William  Weshing- 
ton,  of  Weshington.  .  .  . 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  III  we  find  the  De  Wessyng- 
tons still  mingling  in  chivalrous  scenes.  The  name  of  Sir 
Stephen  de  Wessyngton  appears  on  a  list  of  knights  (nobles 
chevaliers)  who  were  to  tilt  at  a  tournament  at  Dunstable 
in  1334.  He  bore  for  his  device  a  golden  rose  on  an  azure 
field. 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS 


Such  were  the  warlike  and  stately  scenes  in  which 
the  De  Wessyngtons  were  called  to  mingle  by  their  feudal 
duties  as  knights  of  the  palatinate.  A  few  years  after  the 
last  event  (1350)  William,  at  that  time  lord  of  the  manor 
of  Wessyngton,  had  license  to  settle,  it  and  the  village  upon 
himself,  his  wife,  and  "his  own  right  heirs."  He  died  in 
1367,  and  his  son  and  heir  William  succeeded  to  the  estate. 
The  latter  is  mentioned  under  the  name  of  Sir  William  de 
Weschington,  as  one  of  the  knights  who  sat  in  the  privy 
council  of  the  county  during  the  episcopate  of  John  Ford- 
ham.  .  .  . 

For  upwards  of  two  hundred  years  the  De  Wessyngtons 
had  now  sat  in  the  councils  of  the  palatinate;  had  mingled 
with  horse  and  hound  in  the  stately  hunts  of  its  prelates, 
and  followed  the  banner  of  St.  Cuthbert  to  the  field;  but 
Sir  William,  just  mentioned,  was  the  last  of  the  family  that 
rendered  this  feudal  sendee.  He  was  the  last  male  of  the 
line  to  which  the  inheritance  of  the  manor,  by  the  license 
granted  to  his  father,  was  confined.  It  passed  away  from 
the  De  Wessyngtons,  after  his  death,  by  the  marriage  of 
his  only  daughter  and  heir,  Dionisia,  with  Sir  William 
Temple  of  Studley.  By  the  year  1400  it  had  become 
the  property  of  the  Blaykestons. 

But  though  the  name  of  De  Wessyngton  no  longer 
figured  on  the  chivalrous  roll  of  the  palatinate,  it  continued 
for  a  time  to  flourish  in  the  cloisters.  In  the  year  1416, 
John  de  Wessyngton  was  elected  prior  of  the  Benedictine 
convent  attached  to  the  cathedral. 

Finally,  after  fighting  divers  good  fights  for  the  honor 
of  his  priory  and  filling  the  abbot's  chair  for  thirty  years, 
he  died,  to  use  an  ancient  phrase,  "in  all  the  odor  of  sanc- 
tity," in  1446,  and  was  buried  like  a  soldier  on  his  battle- 
field, at  the  door  of  the  north  aisle  of  his  church,  near  to 
the  altar  of  St.  Benedict.  On  his  tombstone  was  an  inscrip- 
tion in  brass,  now  unfortunately  obliterated,  which  may 
have  set  forth  the  valiant  deeds  of  this  Washington  of  the 
cloisters. 


4  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

By  this  time  the  primitive  stock  of  the  De  Wessyngtons 
had  separated  into  divers  branches,  holding  estates  in 
various  parts  of  England;  some  distinguishing  themselves 
in  the  learned  professions,  others  receiving  knighthood 
for  public  services.  Their  names  are  to  be  found  honorably 
recorded  in  county  histories,  or  engraved  on  monuments 
in  time-worn  churches  and  cathedrals,  those  garnering 
places  of  English  worthies.  By  degrees  the  seignorial 
sign  of  the  de  disappeared  from  before  the  family  name, 
which  also  varied  from  Wessyngton  to  Wassington,  Wassh- 
ington,  and  finally  to  Washington.  A  parish  in  the  county 
of  Durham  bears  the  name  as  last  written,  and  in  this 
probably  the  ancient  manor  of  Wessyngton  was  situated. 
There  is  another  parish  of  the  name  in  the  county  of  Sussex. 

The  branch  of  the  family  to  which  our  Washington 
immediately  belongs  sprang  from  Laurence  Washington, 
Esquire,  of  Gray's  Inn,  son  of  John  Washington,  of  Warton, 
in  Lancashire.  This  Laurence  Washington  was  for  some 
time  mayor  of  Northampton,  and  on  the  dissolution  of  the 
priories  by  Henry  VIII  he  received,  in  1538,  a  grant  of  the 
manor  of  Sulgrave,  in  Northamptonshire,  with  other  lands 
in  the  vicinity,  all  confiscated  property  formerly  belonging 
to  the  monastery  of  St.  Andrew's. 

Sulgrave  remained  in  the  family  until  1620,  and  was 
commonly  called  "  Washington's  manor.  " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  pp.  25  to  38. 

Early  Ancestry  of  Washington's  Mother 

The  courtly  knight,  Sir  John  Froissart,  the  famous 
chronicler  of  the  timq  of  the  Plantagenets,  drew  with  a 
brilliant  pen  a  bold  sketch  of  a  "crazy  preacher  of  Kent," 
as  he  called  him,  who  was  an  irrepressible  reformer,  and 
a  leader  in  Wat  Tyler's  rebellion  against  the  nobility  of 
England  in  the  i4th  century. 

John  Ball  was  the  mad  preacher.  He  was  of  the 
class  of  married  priests  so  hated  and  harried  by  St.  Dunstan 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS 


centuries  before.  A  sturdy  democrat — a  prototype  of 
the  socialists  and  nihilists  of  our  time — John  Ball,  for  fully 
twenty  years  before  he  was  silenced  by  the  sharp  and  con- 
clusive argument  of  the  executioner's  axe,  had  harangued 
the  yeomen  in  Kentish  churchyards,  in  market-places, 
and  at  fairs,  always  taking  for  his  text  his  favorite  couplet — 

"  When  Adam  delv'd  and  Eve  span 
Who  was  then  the  gentleman?  " 

Every  Sunday,  after  mass,  as  the  people  came 
out  of  the  church,  they  gathered  about  John  Ball.  On  one 
of  these  occasions,  he  exclaimed,  says  the  chronicler,  "My 
good  friends,  things  cannot  go  on  well  in  England,  nor  ever 
will,  until  everything  shall  be  in  common;  when  there  shall 
neither  be  vassal  nor  lord,  and  all  distinctions  leveled; 
when  the  lords  shall  be  no  more  masters  than  ourselves. 
How  ill  they  have  used  us,  and  for  what  reason  do  they  thus 
hold  us  in  bondage?  Are  we  not  all  descended  from  the 
same  parents,  Adam  and  Eve?  and  what  can  they  show, 
or  what  reasons  give,  why  they  should  be  more  the  masters 
than  ourselves? — except,  perhaps,  in  making  us  labor  and 
work  for  them  to  spend  in  their  pride.  They  are  clothed 
in  velvets  and  rich  stuffs,  ornamented  with  ermine  and 
other  furs,  while  we  are  forced  to  wear  poor  clothes.  They 
have  wines,  spices,  and  fine  bread,  when  we  have  only  rye 
and  the  refuse  of  straw ;  and,  if  we  drink,  it  must  be  water. 
They  have  handsome  seats  and  manors,  when  we  must 
brave  the  wind  and  rain  in  our  labors  in  the  field;  but  it  is 
from  our  labor  they  have  wherewith  to  support  their  pomp. 
We  are  called  slaves ;  and  if  we  do  not  perform  our  services, 
we  are  beaten,  and  we  have  not  any  sovereign  to  whom 
we  can  complain,  or  who  wishes  to  hear  us  and  do  justice. " 
The  people  murmured,  "John  Ball  speaks  the  truth." 
But  for  these  utterances  he  was  imprisoned  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury.  This  act,  and  an  unjust  tax  levied 
at  about  that  time,  set  England  ablaze,  from  sea  to  sea, 


6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

with  popular  indignation.  A  hundred  thousand  Kentish 
men  and  others  led  by  Wat  Tyler  and  Jack  Straw,  entered 
Canterbury  (1381),  plundered  the  Archbishop's  palace, 
took  John  Ball  from  prison,  and  set  him  on  a  horse  as  their 
leader,  and  pressed  on  towards  London,  killing  every  lawyer 
by  the  way — "for  not  till  they  are  killed  will  the  land 
enjoy  freedom, "  shouted  the  peasants.  They  sang  doggerel 
ditties,  many  of  them  composed  by  John  Ball,  which  were 
scattered  among  the  people  to  arouse  them  to  revolt. 
One  of  them  ran  thus : 

"John  Ball,  Greeteth  you  all, 

And  doth  for  to  Understand  he  hath  rung  your  Bell, 
Now  Right  and  Might,'  Will  and  Skill, 
God  speed  every  Dele. 
Now  reigneth  Pride  in  Price, 
And  Covetise  is  counted  Wise, 
And  Lechery  without  Shame, 
And  Gluttony  without  Blame,"  etc. 

King  Richard  II,  just  enthroned,  was  then  a  lad 
of  sixteen.  Advised  by  his  mother,  he  acted  wisely, 
though  deceitfully,  at  this  crisis,  in  quelling  the  insurrection, 
by  meeting  the  malcontents  face  to  face. 

"We  will,"  shouted  the  insurgent  peasants,  "that 
you  free  us  forever,  we  and  our  lands,  and  that  we  be  never 
named  or  held  as  serfs. " 

"I  grant  it,"  cried  Richard;  and  he  bade  them  go 
home,  pledging  himself  to  issue  charters  and  forgiveness, 
a  pledge  intended  to  be  broken.  The  insurgents  dispersed, 
all  but  about  thirty  thousand  who  remained  with  Wat 
Tyler  to  watch  over  the  fulfilment  of  the  royal  pledge. 
A  quarrel  with  the  mayor  of  London  brought  on  a  conflict. 
Wat  Tyler,  was  killed,  John  Ball  and  Jack  Straw  were 
seized,  and  their  heads  (cut  ofif  by  the  king's  command) 
were,  with  Tyler's,  displayed  upon  pikes  on  London  Bridge. 

What  has  all  this  to  do  with  Mary,   the  mother  of 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS 


Washington?  it  may  be  asked.  Much — it  may  be  very 
much.  Possibly  the  democratic  spirit  of  our  beloved 
patriot  was  inherited  through  a  long  line  of  ancestry  from 
the  "mad  preacher  of  Kent."  Washington's  mother  was 
Mary  Ball,  of  English  descent,  the  second  wife  of  his  father, 
and  there  are  weighty  reasons  for  believing  that  she  was 
a  lineal  descendant  from  John  Ball,  the  mediaeval  champion 
of  the  rights  of  man. 

Mary  and  Martha,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  LL.  D.,  pp.  i  to  6. 

Two  Ancestral  Homes 

Of  the  many  thousands  of  Americans  who  throng  to 
Stratford  every  year,  perhaps  only  a  small  number  are 
aware  that  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Washingtons  is 
only  a  few  miles  away.  Still  smaller  is  the  number  who 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  Sulgrave  or  to  Brington,  ten  miles 
further,  though  the  memories  and  traditions  of  these  places 
are  so  closely  connected  with  the  ancestors  of  the  Father  of 
his  Country.  True,  his  stately  home  by  the  Potomac  is 
not  neglected  by  his  countrymen,  but  every  American  should 
be  deeply  interested  in  the  English  forefathers  of  the  man 
who  more  than  any  other,  freed  them  from  the  "rule  of 
kings."  ... 

We  turned  into  a  narrow  byway  leading  to  Worm- 
leighton,  in  whose  ancient  church  there  are  records  chron- 
icling the  marriage  of  Robert  Washington  in  1565  and  the 
birth  of  his  son  George  in  1608,  antedating  his  famous 
namesake  in  America  by  more  than  a  century.  It  would 
even  now  be  hard  to  follow  on  the  map  this  maze  of  byroads 
which  we  threaded,  winding  between  hawthorn  hedges  or 
gliding  beneath  the  overarching  branches  of  ancient  elms; 
and  leading  through  villages  the  very  embodi- 
ment of  quiet  and  repose.  And  Sulgrave,  the  cradle  of  the 
Washingtons,  seemed  the  sleepiest  and  loneliest  of  them  all — 
a  gray,  straggling  hamlet  with  only  here  and  there  a  dash 
of  color  from  flower-beds  or  vivid  walls,  looking  much  as 


8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

it  must  have  looked  when  the  last  Washington  was  Lord 
of  the  Manor,  more  than  three  hundred  years  ago.  . 

A  little  to  one  side  of  the  village  they  pointed  out  the 
"Washington  House,"  and  we  followed  a  stony  path 
leading  into  the  farmyard,  where  the  good  man  was  just 
stabling  his  horses.  A  typical  country  woman — of  the 
tenant  class — warmly  welcomed  us  at  Sulgrave  Manor .  .  . 
We  were  shown  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  curious  old 
house — not  an  extensive  or  imposing  one,  but  three  hundred 
years  ago  domestic  accommodations  were  not  elaborate 
even  in  the  homes  of  the  nobility,  and  while  the  Washingtons 
ranked  high  among  the  gentry,  they  did  not  possess  a  title. 
The  house  has  not  been  greatly  altered,  in  outward  appear- 
ance, at  least;  .  .  .  fortunately,  the  thick  stone  wall 
and  heavy  oaken  beams  yield  but  slowly  to  time's  ravages. 
The  most  imposing  feature  is  the  solid  black-oak  staircase 
with  its  curiously  twisted  banisters.  .-  !.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, impresses  the  American  visitor  so  much  as  the  Wash- 
ington coat-of-arms  executed  in  plaster  in  one  of  the  gables 
by  the  ancient  owner.  This  had  suffered  much  from  the 
weather,  but  has  lately  been  protected  by  a  glass  covering. 
The  outer  walls  were  originally  covered  with  plaster,  but 
this  has  fallen  away  in  many  places,  showing  the  rough 
stone  underneath;  and  elsewhere  masses  of  ivy  half  hide 
the  small,  square-paned  windows.  .  .  We  followed  the 
rough  cobblestone  walk  to  the  church  door,  but  could  not 
gain  admittance  until  the  caretaker  was  found,  for  Sulgrave 
Church  has  been  kept  strictly  under  lock  and  key  ever  since 
one  of  the  Washington  brasses  was  stolen — by  an  American, 
of  course— a  few  years  ago. '  It  is  a  small,  rough,  lichen- 
covered  building,  much  restored,  even  to  the  stolen  brass 
tablet  to  the  memory  of  the  first  Lawrence  Washington. 

The  story  of  Sulgrave's  connection  with  the  Washing- 
tons  is  not  common  and  a  short  sketch  may  not  be 
amiss.  In  ^  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  Lawrence  Wash- 
ington was  mayor  of  Northampton  and  a  gentleman 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS 


of  consequence.  Sulgrave  was  among  the  confiscated 
church  lands  that  the  king  was  offering  at  bargain 
prices,  and  Washington  purchased  it  for  three  hundred 
pounds.  .  .  His  grandson,  another  Lawrence  Wash- 
ington, was  forced  by  adverse  circumstances  to  sell  the 
estate .  .  .  .  This  grandson,  with  a  large  family, 
removed  about  1606 — the  exact  date  is  doubtful — to 
Little  Brington,  some  ten  miles  to  the  northeast  of 
Sulgrave,  where  he  was  given  a  house,  it  is  thought  by  the 
Earl  of  Spencer,  to  which  noble  family  the  Washingtons 
were  related  by  marriage.  The  Lawrence  Washington  who 
is  buried  in  Great  Brington  Church  was  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  the  "first  American." 

.v  .  We  paused  ...  in  front  of  Great 
Brington  Church  to  which  we  gained  admission .  ,.  .  The 
chief  Washington  memorials  are  the  brasses — the  inscrip- 
tion and  coat-of-arms — over  the  grave  of  Lawrence  Wash- 
ington of  Sulgrave  and  Brington,  and  these  have  been  sunk 
deep  in  the  stone  slab  and  are  guarded  by  lock  and  key. 

Half  a  mile  from  Great  Brington  is  Little  Brington, 
where  we  saw  the  Washington  house,  .  .  with  only  a 
few  touches,  mullioned  windows  and  carvings,  to  distinguish 
it  from  the  cottages  of  the  village  tenantry.  There  is  a 
world  of  pathos  in  the  inscription  cut  in  the  stone  tablet 
above  the  doorway,  "The  Lord  giveth,  the  Lord  taketh 
away,  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord. " 

In  Unfamiliar  England,  Thos.  D.  Murphy,  pp.  40  to  46. 

Some  Ancestral  Fighters 

One  of  the  direct  descendants  of  the  grantee  of  Sul- 
grave was  Sir  William  Washington,  of  Packington,  in  the 
county  of  Kent.  He  married  a  sister  of  George ,  Villiers, 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  the  unfortunate  favorite  of  Charles  I. 
This  may  have  attached  the  Sulgrave  Washingtons  to  the 
Stuart  dynasty,  to  which  they  adhered  loyally  and  gen- 
erously throughout  all  its  vicissitudes.  One  of  the  family, 


io  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Lieutenant-colonel  James  Washington,  took  up  arms 
in  the  cause  of  King  Charles,  and  lost  his  life  in  the  siege 
of  Pontefract  castle.  Another  of  the  Sulgrave  line,  Sir 
Henry  Washington,  son  and  heir  of  Sir  William,  before 
mentioned,  exhibited  in  the  civil  wars  the  old  chivalrous 
spirit  of  the  knights  of  the  palatinate.  He  served  under 
Prince  Rupert  at  the  storming  of  Bristol,  in  1643,  and  when 
the  assailants  were  beaten  off  at  every  point,  he  broke  in 
with- a  handful  of  infantry  at  a  weak  part  of  the  wall,  made 
room  for  the  horse  to  follow,  and  opened  a  path  to  victory. 
He  distinguished  himself  still  more  in  1646,  when 
elevated  to  the  command  of  Worcester,  the  governor 
having  been  captured  by  the  enemy.  It  was  a  time  of 
confusion  and  dismay.  The  king  had  fled  from  Oxford  in 
disguise  and  gone  to  the  parliamentary  camp  at  Newark. 
The  royal  cause  was  desperate.  In  this  crisis  Sir  Henry 
received  a  letter  from  Fairfax,  who,  with  his  victorious 
army,  was  at  Haddington,  demanding  the  surrender  of 
Worcester.  The  following  was  Colonel  Washington's  reply : 

"Sir: — It  is  acknowledged  by  your  books  and  by  report  of  your 
own  quarter,  that  the  king  is  in  some  of  your  armies.  That  granted,  it 
may  be  easy  for  you  to  procure  his  Majesty's  commands  for  the  disposal 
of  this  garrison.  Till  then  I  shall  make  good  the  trust  reposed  in  me. 
As  for  conditions,  if  I  shall  be  necessitated,  I  shall  make  the  best  I  can. 
The  worst  I  know  and  fear  not ;  if  I  had,  the  profession  of  a  soldier  had 
not  begun,  nor  so  long  continued  by  your  Excellency's  humble  servant, 

"  HENRY  WASHINGTON  ". 

In  a  few  days  Colonel  Whalley  invested  the  city  with 
five  thousand  troops.  Sir  Henry  dispatched  messenger  after 
messenger  in  quest  of  the  king  to  know  his  pleasure.  None 
of  them  returned.  A  female  emissary  was  equally  unavail- 
ing. Week  after  week  elapsed,  until  nearly  three  months 
had  expired.  Provisions  began  to  fail.  The  city  was  in 
confusion.  The  troops  grew  insubordinate.  Yet  Sir  Henry 
persisted  in  the  defense.  General  Fairfax,  with  1,500  horse, 
and  foot,  was  daily  expected.  There  was  not  powder  enough 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS  it 


for  an  hour's  contest  should  the  city  be  stormed.     Still  Sir 
Henry   "awaited   His   Majesty's  commands." 

At  length  news  arrived  that  the  king  had  issued  an 
order  for  the  surrender  of  all  towns,  castles,  and  forts. 
A  printed  copy  of  the  order  was  shown  to  Sir  Henry,  and 
on  the  faith  of  that  document  he  capitulated  (igth  July, 
1646)  on  honorable  terms,  won  by  his  fortitude  and  perse- 
verance. Those  who  believe  in  hereditary  virtues  may  see 
foreshadowed  in  the  conduct  of  this  Washington  of  Wor- 
cester, the  magnanimous  constancy  of  purpose,  the  disposi- 
tion to  "hope  against  hope,"  which  bore  our  Washington 
triumphantly  through  the  darkest  days  of  our  Revolution. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  39. 

Part  of  His  Pedigree 

Although  Washington  wrote  that  the  history  of  his 
ancestors  was,  in  his  opinion,  "of  very  little  moment, "  and 
"a  subject  to  which  I  confess  I  have  paid  very  little  atten- 
tion,"  few  Americans  can  prove  a  better  pedigree.  The 
earliest  of  his  forbears  yet  discovered  was  described  as 
"gentleman,"  the  family  were  granted  lands  by  Henry 
the  Eighth,  held  various  offices  of  honor,  married  into  good 
families,  and  under  the  Stuarts  two  were  knighted  and  a 
third  served  as  page  to  Prince  Charles.  Lawrence,  a 
brother  of  the  three  thus  distinguished,  matriculated  at 
Oxford  as  a  "  generosi  films"  (the  intermediate  class  between 
sons  of  the  nobility,  "armigeri  nlius, "  and  of  the  people, 
"plebeii  nlius"),  or  as  of  the  minor  gentry.  In  time  he 
became  a  fellow  and  lector  of  Brasenose  College,  and 
presently  obtained  the  good  living  of  Purleigh.  Strong 
royalists,  the  fortunes  of  the  family  waned  along  with 
King  Charles,  and  sank  into  insignificance  with  the  passing 
of  the  Stuart  dynasty.  Not  the  least  sufferer  was  the 
rector  of  Purleigh,  for  the  Puritan  Parliament  ejected  him 
from  his  living,  on  the  charge  "that  he  was  a  common 
frequenter  of  ale-houses,  not  only  himself  sitting  dayly 

1-3 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


tippling  there,  .  .  but  hath  oft  been  drunk," — a 
charge  indignantly  denied  by  the  royalists,  who  asserted 
that  he  was  a  "  worthy  Pious  manr  .  .  .  always  . 
a  very  Modest,  Sober  Person";  and  this  latter  claim  is 
supported  by  the  fact  that  though  the  Puritans  sequestered 
the  rich  living,  they  made  no  objection  to  his  serving  as 
rector  at  Brixted  Parva,  where  the  living  was  "  such  a  Poor 
and  Miserable  one  that  it  was  always  with  difficulty  that 
any  one  was  persuaded  to  accept  of  it." 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  15. 

American  Ancestry 

We  have  little  note  of  the  Sulgrave  branch  of  the 
family  after  the  death  of  Charles  I  and  the  exile  of  his 
successor.  England,  during  the  Protectorate,  became  an 
uncomfortable  residence  to  such  as  had  signalized  them- 
selves as  adherents  to  the  house  of  Stuart.  In  1655,  an 
attempt  at  a  general  insurrection  drew  on  them  the  ven- 
geance of  Cromwell.  Many  of  their  party  who  had  no 
share  in  the  conspiracy,  yet  sought  refuge  in  other  lands, 
where  they  might  live  free  from  molestation.  This  may 
have  been  the  case  with  the  two  brothers,  John  and  Andrew 
[Lawrence]  Washington,  great-grandsons  of  the  grantee  of 
Sulgrave,  and  uncles  of  Sir  Henry,  the  gallant  defender  of 
Worcester.  John  had  for  some  time  resided  in  South 
Cave,  in  the  East  Riding  of  Yorkshire;  but  now  emigrated 
with  his  brother  to  Virginia,  which  colony,  from  its  alle- 
giance to  the  exiled  monarch  and  the  Anglican  Church  had 
become  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Cavaliers.  The  brothers 
arrived  in  Virginia  in  1657,  and  purchased  land  in  West- 
moreland County,  on  the  Northern  Neck,  between  the 
Potomac  and  Rappahannock  rivers.  John  married  a  Miss 
Anne  Pope,  of  the  same  county,  and  took  up  his  residence 
on  Bridges'  Creek,  near  where  it  falls  into  the  Potomac. 
He  became  an  extensive  planter,  and  in  process  of  time, 
a  magistrate  and  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses. 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS  13 

Having  a  spark  of  the  old  military  fire  of  the  family,  we  find 
him,  as  Colonel  Washington,  leading  the  Virginia  forces,  in 
cooperation  with  those  of  Maryland,  against  a  band  of 
.Seneca  Indians,  who  were  ravaging  the  settlements  along 
the  Potomac.  In  honor  of  his  public  and  private  virtues 
the  parish  in  which  he  resided  was  called  after  him,  and 
still  bears  the  name  of  Washington.  He  lies  buried  in  a 
vault  on  Bridges'  Creek,  which,  for  generations,  was  the 
family  place  of  sepulture. 

The  estate  continued  in  the  family.  His  grandson 
Augustine,  the  father  of  our  Washington,  was  born  there 
in  1694.  He  was  twice  married;  first  (April  20,  1715), 
to  Jane,  daughter  of  Caleb  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Westmoreland 
County,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  of  whom  only  two, 
Lawrence  and  Augustine,  survived  the  years  of  childhood; 
their  mother  died  November  24,  1728,  and  was  buried 
in  the  family  vault. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1730,  he  married  in  second 
nuptials,  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Ball,  a  young  and 
beautiful  girl,  said  to  be  the  belle  of  the  Northern  Neck. 
By  her  he  had  four  sons,  George,  Samuel,  John  Augustine, 
and  Charles;  and  two  daughters,  Elizabeth,  or  Betty,  as 
she  was  commonly  called,  and  Mildred,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  41. 

Two  Letters  about  a  Mary  Ball 

I  have  met  with  only  two  allusions,  in  writing,  to  Mary 
Ball  before  her  marriage.  These  were  in  fragments  of 
letters  found  in  a  deserted  mansion  near'  the  York  River 
during  the  late  Civil  War,  and  sent  to  me  in  a  small  package 
of  other  old  papers  of  no  real  value.  One  of  these  letters, 
written  in  a  feminine  hand,  dated  "Wms  Burg,  ye  7th  of 
Octr,  1722,"  began  as  follows: 

" Dear  Sukey: — Madam  Ball  of  Lancaster  and  Her 
Sweet  Molly  have  gone  Horn.  Mamma  thinks  Molly  the 


i4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Comliest  Maiden  She  Knows.  She  is  about  16  yrs  old,  is 
taller  than  Me,  is  verry  Sensable,  Modest  and  Loving.  Her 
Hair  is  like  unto  Flax,  Her  Eyes  are  the  color  of  Yours 
and  her  Chekes  are  like  May  blossoms.  I  wish  you  could 
see  her." 

The  other  letter  was  written  by  "  Lizzie  Burwell"  to  a 
friend.  It  was  so  torn  and  faded  as  to  be  almost  illegible ; 
only  the  subjoined  part  of  a  sentence  could  be  deciphered: 

" — understand  Molly  Ball  is  going  Home  with  her 
Brother  a  Lawyer,  who  lives  in  England.  Her  Mother  is 
Dead  three  Months  ago,  and  her  Sister  "- 

Here  a  fragment  of  the  letter  was  torn  off,  together  with  all 
the  superscription  excepting  "Miss  Nelly  Car — . "  At  the 
top  of  the  letter  were  the  words,  "  tank,  May  ye  isth,  1728. " 
This  is  the  sum  of  my  information  concerning  Mary 
Ball  before  her  marriage,  when  she  was  about  twenty-four 
years  of  age. 

Mary  and  Martha,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  p.  n. 

Mary  the  Mother  of  Washington 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  youth  and  early  womanhood 
of  Mary  Ball.  Her  father  appears  to  have  been  a  well-to-do 
planter  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rappahannock  River,  near 
where,  a  broad  stream,  its  fresh  waters  commingled  with 
the  brine  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  He  was  a  vestryman 
of  Christ  Church,  in  Lancaster.  In  a  fragment  of  a  list 
of  contributions  for  the  support  of  the  minister  of  that 
parish  (Rev.  John  Bell)  in  1712,  is  the  following  entry: 
"Joseph  Ball,  £5" — a  considerable  sum  for  a  Virginia 
planter  at  that  time  to  give  for  such  a  purpose.  He  was 
commissioned  a  colonel  by  Gov.  Alexander  Spottswood, 
and  was  known  as  "Colonel  Ball  of  Lancaster,"  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  another  Colonel  Ball,  his  cousin. 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS  15 

Mary  Ball  seems  to  have  grown  to  womanhood  in  the 
serene  and  healthful  seclusion  of  a  well-ordered  home  in 
a  sparsely  settled  country.  Like  most  of  the  girls  in  the 
colony  at  that  time,  her  attainments  in  "book"  learning 
must  have  been  acquired  under  the  parental  roof,  for  early 
in  the  last  century  schools  were  almost  unknown  in  that 
part  of  our  country.  Governor  Berkeley  had,  half  a  century 
before,  thanked  God  there  were  no  free  schools  nor  a  printing- 
press  in  Virginia,  and  hoped  there  would  not  be  in  a  hundred 
years 

When  Mary  Ball  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age 
she  wrote  to  her  brother  abroad  on  family  matters,  and 
concluded  her  letter  as  follows : 

"  We  have  not  had  a  schoolmaster  in  our  neighborhood 
until  now  (January  14,  1723)  in  nearly  four  years.  We 
have  now  a  young  minister  living  with  us,  who  was  educated 
at  Oxford,  took  orders,  and  came  over  as  assistant  to  Rev. 
Kemp,  at  Gloucester.  That  parish  is  too  poor  to  keep  both, 
and  he  teaches  school  for  his  board.  He  teaches  Susie  and 
me  and  Madam  Carter's  boy  and  two  girls.  I  am  now 
learning  pretty  fast.  Mama  and  Susie  and  I  all  send  love 
to  you  and  Mary.  This  from  your  loving  sister,  Mary  Ball." 

The  education  of  Mary  was  evidently  defective,  but 
not  more  so  than  that  of  the  average  young  woman  of  her 
class.  While  her  chirogr'aphy  was  plain  and  business-like 
in  character,  her  orthography  was  very  defective,  even  late 
in  life.  But  her  career  indicates  that  she  had  received  at 
home  an  education  for  the  higher  duties  of  life,  of  far 
greater  value  and  importance  than  any  taught  in  schools. 
From  her  mother,  who  died  in  1728,  after  a  widowhood  of 
many  years,  she  had  doubtless  inherited  the  noblest  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart,  and  had  been  taught  all  those  domestic 
virtues  of  which  contemporary  testimony  and  tradition 
tell  us  she  was  a  bright  exemplar^ — industry,  frugality, 
integrity,  strength  of  will  and  purpose,  obedient  to  the 
behests  of  duty,  faithfulness,  and  modesty,  with  deep 


1 6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

religious  convictions.  She  was  strengthened  by  an  abiding 
faith  in  the  Divine  promises  which  made  Mary,  the  mother 
of  Washington,  a  model  woman,  and  yet 

"A  creature  not  too  bright  or  good 
For  human  nature's  daily  food." 

Mary  and  Martha,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  pp.  8  to  1 1 . 

% 

Conjectures  about  Washington's  Father  and  Mother 

Augustine  Washington  was  born  in  1694,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Caleb 
Butler,  of  Westmoreland  County.  They  had  four  children- 
three  sons  and  one  daughter;  Butler,  who  died  in  infancy, 
Lawrence,  Augustine,  and  Jane,  the  latter  dying  in  early 
childhood.  Their  mother  died  in  November,  1728,  when 
her  husband  was  about  thirty-four  years  of  age. 

In  1792,  President  Washington,  by  request,  sent  to 
Sir  Isaac  Heard,  Garter  King  of  Arms,  in  London,  a  gen- 
ealogical table  of  the  Washington  family  in  Virginia.  In  it 
occur  these  words: 

.  "Jane,  wife  of  Augustine  [Washington],  died  November 
24,  1728,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  vault  at  Bridges' 
Creek.  Augustine  then  married  Mary  Ball,  March  6,  1730. " 

i 
No  hint  is  given  as  to  where  this  marriage  took  place, 

nor  is  there  any  known  record  extant  that  can  answer  the 
question,  Where  were  Augustine  and  Mary  Ball  wedded? 
There  is  no  tradition  that  can  answer,  excepting  that  given 
by  Mr.  Harvey  that  they  were  married  in  England. 

We  have  observed  an  intimation  in  a  fragment  of  a 
letter  .  .  that  Mary  Ball  went  to  England  with  her 
brother  in  1728,  and  Mr.  Harvey  ascertained  at  Cookham 
that  Augustine  Washington  was  there  in  1729;  also  that 
families  of  Washington  and  Balls  had  lived  there  and  been 
buried  there.  He  also  ascertained  that  Augustine  Wash- 
ington tarried  there  to  effect  the  sale  of  some  property  he 
had  fallen  heir  to.  In  Virginia  the  Washington  and  Ball 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS  17 

families  lived  in  adjoining  counties,  and  were  doubtless 
personally  acquainted  with  each  other.  The  question 
naturally  arises,  "May  not  Augustine  Washington  and 
Mary  Ball  have  met  in  England  and  married  there? "  . 

Where  was  Washington  born  and  baptized?  There 
is  no  known  official  record  that  can  solve  the  question. 
There  is  no  tradition  that  helps  to  solve  it,  excepting  the 
statement  of  Washington  quoted  above,  and  that  of  Mrs. 
Merer,  who  says  he  was  born  in  Cookham,  and  was  carried 
to  America  in  the  arms  of  either  her  "aunt  or  mother. " 
How  trustworthy  is  the  tradition  of  the  latter,  let  us  see. 

Mrs.  Morer  died  in  1812,  eighty  years  after  the  birth  of 
Washington.  She  must  have  been  a  very  young  child 
when,  as  she  says,  her  "aunt  or  mother"  went  to  America 
as  a  nurse  for  him — too  young,  too,  to  be  the  likely  recipient, 
as  she  says  she  was,  of  the  portrait  of  Mary  Ball  and  "  other 
relicks  of  the  [Washington]  family."  Mr.  Field  was  born 
in  1777.  He  received  the  story  from  Mrs.  Morer 's  lips 
when  he  was  "a  boy,"  say  eighteen  years 'of  age,  when 
according  to  her  narrative,  she  must  have  been  fully  seventy- 
five  years  old.  Would  any  court  receive  testimony  of  this 
nature  as  trustworthy? 

It  lacked  only  about  a  month  of  being  two  years  from 
the  time  of  the  marriage  of  Washington's  parents  until  his 
birth,  or  fully  three  years  after  his  father  went  to  England. 
Augustine  had  left  in  Virginia  his  large  estate  and  various 
concerns,  and  his  two  sons,  one  about  seven  years  and  the 
other  about  nine  years  of  -age.  Would  he  be  likely  to 
remain  abroad  so  long,  neglectful  of  his  family  and  estate, 
to  receive  and  dispose  of  some  property  in  England  which 
he  had  inherited? 

Does  it  not  seem  probable  that  Augustine  Washington 
and  Mary  Ball  were  married  in  England,  and  after  tarrying 
there  awhile  to  dispose  of  some  property,  returned  to 
Virginia,  where  their  first  child  was  born  and  baptized,  two 
years  after  the  wedding? 

Mary  and  Martlia,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  pp.  21  to  24. 


1 8  '    THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Mary  Washington's  First  Home 

The  home  plantation  of  Augustine  Washington  stretched 
along  the  Potomac  River  more  than  a  mile  between  Pope's 
and  Bridges'  creeks.  The  river  is  there  a  broad  stream,  and 
was  then  largely  fringed  by  the  primeval  forest.  Its  waters 
abounded  with  the  choicest  fishes.  This  farm  of  a  thousand 
acres  was  in  the  northern  part  of  Westmoreland  County,  a 
narrow  shire  afterwards  distinguished  as  the  birthplace  of 
two  Presidents  of  the  United  States  (Washington  and  Mon- 
roe) and  of  several  Lees  who  were  prominent  actors  in  the 
early  history  of  our  republic.  Of  these,  Richard  Henry  Lee, 
author  of  the  resolution  for  independence  offered  in  the  Con- 
gress in  1776;  Arthur  Lee,  M.D.,  a  diplomatic  agent  for  the 
Continental  Congress  abroad;  and  "Legion  Harry,"  a  brave 
and  dashing  young  cavalry  leader  in  the  old  war  for 
independence,  were  the  most  conspicuous. 

The  dwelling  to  which  Mr.  Washington  took  his  young 
wife  was  a  very  modest  one,  yet  it  ranked  among  the  best  of 
Virginia  farm  houses  at  that  time.  It  had  four  rooms 
and  a  spacious  attic,  with  an  enormous  chimney  at  each 
end.  On  the  river  front  was  a  piazza.  It  was  perfectly 
plain  at  all  points.  The  only  approach  to  ornamentation 
was  a  Dutch  tiled  chimney-piece  in  the  "  best  room. " 

The  bride  found  at  her  new  home  a  middle-aged  kins- 
woman of  her  husband  in  charge  of  his  two  fine  boys, 
Lawrence  and  Augustine.  There  was  an  ample  supply  of 
men  and  women  servants.  The  rooms  were  neatly  furnished, 
and  in  one  of  them  was  a  small  collection  of  books,  chiefly 
devotional  in  character.  Among  them  was  a  copy  of  Sir 
Matthew  Hale' s  "Contemplations,  Moral  and  Divine,"  on 
the  fly-leaf  of  which  Augustine's  first  wife  had  written  her 
name  in  bold  characters.  .Immediately  under  this  signature 
the  new  mistress  of  the  household  wrote  "and  Mary  Wash- 
ington," in  an  equally  bold  hand.  I  saw  this  volume  and 
copied  the  signatures  many  years  ago,  at  Mount  Vernon. 


WASHINGTON'S  ANTECEDENTS  19 

From  that  volume  the  mother  of  Washington  undoubtedly 
drew,  as  from  a  living  well  of  sweet  water,  many  of  the 
maxims  which  she  instilled  into  the  mind  of  her  first-born, 
who  became  illustrious.  It  was  in  this  modest  home  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac  that  Mary  Washington  gave  birth 
to  that  son  in  the  winter  of  1732. 

Mary  and  Martha,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  p.  »j. 


CHAPTER  II 
GEORGE  AND  His  FATHER 

His  Birth 

My  father,  Augustine,  was  born  in  1694,  on  the  planta- 
tion known  as  Wakeneld,  granted  in  1667,  to  his  grand- 
father, and  lying  between  the  Bridges''  and  Pope's  creeks,  in 
Westmoreland,  on  the  north  neck  between  the  Potomac  and 
the  Rappahannock.  My  father,  in  his  will,  says:  "Foras- 
much as  my  several  children  in  this  my  will  mentioned,  being 
by  several  Ventures,  cannot  inherit  from  one  another,"  etc. 

What  he  speaks  of  as  his  "Ventures"  were  his  two 
marriages.  A  venture  does  appear  to  me  to  be  an  appro- 
priate name  for  the  uncertain  state  of  matrimony.  The 
first  "venture"  was  Jane  Butler,  who  lies  buried  at  Wake- 
field.  Of  her  four  children  two  survived ;  that  is,  my  half- 
brothers  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  whom  we  called  Austin. 
I  was  the  first  child  of  my  father's  second  "venture,"  and 
my  mother  was  Mary  Ball.  I  was  born  at  Wakefield,  on 
February  1 1  (O.  S.),  1732,  about  ten  in  the  morning.  I  was 
baptized  in  the  Pope's  Creek  church,  and  had  two  godfathers 
and  one  godmother,  Mildred  Gregory.  Mr.  Beverly  Whiting 
and  Mr.  Christopher  Brooks  were  my  godfathers.  I  do  not 
recall  ever  seeing  Mr.  Whiting,  although  his  son,  of  the 
same  name,  I  met  in  after  years.  Of  Mr.  Brooks  I  know 
nothing,  nor  do  I  know  which  one  of  the  two  gave  me  the 
silver  cups  which  it  was  then  the  custom  for  the  godfather 
to  give  to  the  godson.  I  still  have  them.  I  was  told  by  a 
silversmith  in  Philadelphia  that  the  cups  are  of  Irish  make, 
and  of  about  1720.  There  were  six  of  these  mugs,  in  order 
to  be  used  for  punch  when  the  child  grew  up. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell. 

M.  D.,  p.    22. 

(20) 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  2i 


Parson  Weems 

Several  of  the  most  famous  tales  of  Washington's 
boyhood  are  told  by  an  odd  character  known  as  Parson 
Weems,  who  preached  in  Powick  church  for  a  while  after 
the  war.  Washington  attended  this  church,  and  he  and 
his  wife  often  entertained  Weems  in  their  hospitable  house. 
As  the  odd  parson  no  doubt  gossiped  with  all  the  old  people 
about  the  neighborhood,  he  had  a  good  chance  to  pick  up 
many  anecdotes  about  the  great  man's  childhood.  Unfor- 
tunately, Parson  Weems  was  more  fond  of  a  good  story 
than  of  the  strict  truth.  Having  a  large  family  to  support, 
he  left  off  preaching  and  became  a  book  peddler.  He  rode 
about  in  an  old-fashioned  gig,  selling  his  own  writings  and 
those  of  others.  He  told  so  many  amusing  stories  and 
played  the  fiddle  so  well,  that  he  was  a  very  successful 
peddler.  He  would  enter  a  bar-room  with  a  temperance 
tract  he  had  written,  and  mimic  a  drunken  man  so  perfectly 
that  he  had  no  trouble  in  selling  his  tracts  to  the  laughing 
crowd.  It  is  told  of  Weems  that  he  once  fiddled  for  a  dance 
from  behind  a  screen,  lest  people  should  be  shocked  to  see 
a  parson  fiddling  in  such  a  place.  The  screen  fell  over, 
however,  and  revealed  the  fiddling  preacher,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  crowd.  The  odd  old  parson  wrote  a  life 
of  Washington,  in  which  he  told  some  stories  of  the  great 
man's  boyhood  which  he  said  he  had  learned  from  an  old 
lady  who  was  a  cousin  of  the  family  and  had  visited,  when 
she  was  a  girl,  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Augustine  Washington. 
The  stories  are  not  improbable  in  themselves,  and  are 
doubted  only  because  they  are  told  by  the  queer  parson, 
who  loved  a  good  story  too  well. 

Tlie  Story  of  Washington,  Elizabeth  Eggleston  Seelye,  p.  6. 

Little  George  and  the  Sin  of  Selfishness 

,  To  assist  his  son  to  overcome  that  selfish  spirit,  which 
too  often  leads  children  to  fret  and  fight  about  trifles,  was 


22  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

a  notable  care  of  Mr.  Washington.  For  this  purpose,  of  all 
the  presents,  such  as  cakes,  fruit,  etc.,  he  received,  he  was 
always  desired  to  give  a  liberal  part  to  his  playmates.  To 
enable  him  to  do  this  with  more  alacrity,  his  father  would 
'  remind  him  of  the  love  which  he  would  thereby  gain,  and 
the  frequent  presents  which  would  in  return  be  made  to 
him;  and  also  would  tell  of  that  great  and  good  God,  who 
delights  above  all  things  to  see  children  love  one  another, 
and  will  assuredly  reward  them  for  acting  so  amiable  a  part. 

Some  idea  of  Mr.  Washington's  plan  of  education  in 
this  respect,  may  be  collected  from  the  following  anecdote, 
related  to  me  twenty  years  ago  by  an  aged  lady,  who  was 
a  distant  relative,  and,  when  a  girl,  spent  much  of  her  time 
in  the  family : 

"On  a  fine  morning,"  said  she,  "in  the  fall  of  1737, 
Mr.  Washington,  having  little  George  by  the  hand,  came  to 
the  door  and  asked  my  cousin  .  .  .  and  myself  to 
walk  with  him  to  the  orchard,  promising  he  would  show  us 
a  fine  sight.  On  arriving  at  the  orchard,  we  were  presented 
with  a  fine  sight  indeed.  The  whole  earth,  as  far  as  we 
could  see,  was  strewed  with  fruit:  and  yet  the  trees  were 
bending  under  the  weight  of  apples,  which  hung  in  clusters 
like  grapes,  and  vainly  strove  to  hide  their  blushing  cheeks 
behind  the  green  leaves. 

"'Now,  George,'  said  his  father,  'look  here,  my  son! 
don't  you  remember  when  this  good  cousin  of  yours  brought 
you  that  fine  large  apple  last  spring,  how  hardly  I  could 
prevail  on  you  to  divide  with  your  brothers  and  sisters; 
though  I  promised  you  that  if  you  would  but  do  it,  God 
Almighty  would  give  you  plenty  of  apples  this  fall. ' 

"Poor  George  could  not  say  a  word;  but  hanging  down 
his  head,  looked  quite  confused,  while  with  his  little  naked 
toes  he  scratched  in  the  soft  ground. 

"Now  look  up,  my  son,'  continued  his  father,  'look 
up,  George !  and  see  there  how  richly  the  blessed  God  has 
made  good  my  promise  to  you.  Wherever  you  turn  your 


eyes  you  see  the  trees  loaded  down  with  fine  fruit;  many 
of  them  indeed  breaking  down ;  while  the  ground  is  covered 
with  mellow  apples,  more  than  you  could  eat,  my  son,  in 
all  your  life  time. ' 

"George  looked  in  silence  on  the  wide  wilderness  of 
fruit.  He  marked  the  busy  humming  bees,  and  heard  the 
gay  notes  of  birds;  then  lifting  his  eyes,  filled  with  shining 
moisture,  to  his  father,  he  softly  said: 

"  'Well,  Pa,  only  forgive  me  this  time;  and  see  if  I  ever 
be  so  stingy  any  more." 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  with  Curious  Anecdotes,  Rev.  M.  L.  Weems,  p.  12. 

The  Moral  and  Entertaining  Story  of  the  Little  Hatchet 

Never  did  the  wise  Ulysses  take  more  pains  with  his 
beloved  Telemachus,  than  did  Mr.  Washington  with  George, 
to  inspire  him  with  an  early  love  of  truth. 

"Truth,  George,"  said  he,  "is  the  loveliest  quality  of 
youth.  I  would  ride  fifty  miles,  my  son,  to  see  the  little 
•boy  whose  heart  is  so  honest,  and  his  lips  so  pure,  that  we 
may  depend  on  every  word  he  says.  O  how  lovely  does 
such  a  child  appear  in  the  eyes  of  everybody!  His  parents 
dote  on  him.  His  relations  glory  in  him.  They  are  con- 
stantly praising  him  to  their  children,  whom  they  beg  to 
imitate  him.  They  are  often  sending  for  him  to  visit  them ; 
and  receive  him,  when  he  comes,  with  as  much  joy  as  if  he 
were  a  little  angel,  come  to  set  pretty  examples  to  their 
children. 

"But,  oh!  how  different,  George,  is  the  case  with  the 
boy  who  is  so  given  to  lying  that  nobody  can  believe  a  word 
he  says!  He  is  looked  at  with  aversion  wherever  he  goes, 
and  parents  dread  to  see  him  come  among  their  children. 
Oh,  George!  my  son!  rather  than  see  you  come  to  this  pass, 
dear  as  you  are  to  my  heart,  gladly  would  I  assist  to  nail 
you  up  in  your  little  coffin,  and  follow  you  to  your  grave. 
Hard,  indeed,  would  it  be  to  me  to  give  up  my  son,  whose 
little  feet  are  always  so  ready  to  run  about  with  me,  and 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


whose  fondly  looking  eyes,  and  sweet  prattle  make  so  large 
a  part  of  my  happiness.  But  still  I  would  give  him  up, 
rather  than  see  him  a  common  liar.  " 

"  Pa,  "  said  George  very  seriously,  "  do  I  ever  tell  lies?  " 

"No,  George,  I  thank  God  you  do  not,  my  son;  and  I 
rejoice  in  the  hope  you  never  will.  At  least,  you  shall 
never,  from  me,  have  cause  to  be  guilty  of  so  shameful  a 
thing.  Many  parents,  indeed,  even  compel  their  children 
to  this  vile  practice,  by  barbarously  beating  them  for  every 
little  fault:  hence,  on  the  next  offence,  the  terrified  little 
creature  slips  out  a  lie,  just  to  escape  the  rod.  But  as  to 
yourself,  George,  you  know  I  have  always  told  you,  and 
now  tell  you  again,  that,  whenever  by  accident,  you  do 
anything  wrong,  which  must  often  be  the  case,  as  you  are 
but  a  poor  little  boy  yet,  without  experience  or  knowledge, 
you  must  never  tell  a  falsehood  to  conceal  it;  but  come 
bravely  up,  my  son,  like  a  little  man,  and  tell  me  of  it: 
and,  instead  of  beating  you,  George,  I  will  but  the  more 
honour  and  love  you  for  it,  my  dear.  " 

This,  you'll  say,  was  sowing  good  seed!  .  .  Yes, 
it  was:  and  the  crop,  thank  God,  was,  as  I  believe  it  ever 
will  be,  where  a  man  acts  the  true  parent,  that  is,  the 
Guardian  Angel,  by  his  child. 

The  following  anecdote  is  a  case  in  point.  It  is  too 
valuable  to  be  lost,  and  too  true  to  be  doubted;  for  it  was 
communicated  to  me  by  the  same  excellent  lady  to  whom 
I  am  indebted  for  the  last. 

"  When  George,"  said  she,  "  was  about  six  years  old,  he 
was  made  the  wealthy  master  of  a  hatchet,  of  which,  like 
most  little  boys,  he  was  immoderately  fond,  and  was  con- 
stantly going  about  chopping  everything  that  came  in  his 
way.  One  day,  in  the  garden,  where  he  often  amused  him- 
self hacking  his  mother's  pea-sticks,  he  unluckily  tried  the 
edge  of  his  hatchet  on  the  body  of  a  beautiful  young  English 
cherry-tree,  which  he  barked  so  terribly  that  I  don't  believe 
the  tree  ever  got  the  better  of  it.  The  next  morning  the 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  25 

old  gentleman,  finding  out  what  had  befallen  his  tree,  which, 
by  the  by,  was  a  great  favourite,  came  into  the  house ;  and 
with  much  warmth  asked  for  the  mischievous  author, 
declaring  at  the  same  time,  that  he  would  not  have  taken 
five  guineas  for  his  tree.  Nobody  could  tell  him  anything 
about  it.  Presently  George  and  his  hatchet  made  their 
appearance.  'George,'  said  his  father,  'do  you  know 
who  killed  that  beautiful  little  cherry-tree  yonder  in  the 
garden?' 

"This  was  a  tough  question;  and  George  staggered 
under  it  for  a  moment ;  but  quickly  recovered  himself ;  and 
looking  at  his  father,  with  the  sweet  face  of  youth 
brightened  with  the  inexpressible  charm  of  all-conquering 
truth,  he  bravely  cried  out, 

'"I  can't  tell  a  lie,  Pa;  you  know  I  can't  tell  a  lie.  I 
did  cut  it  with  my  hatchet. ' 

'"Run  to  my  arms,  you  dearest  boy,'  cried  his  father 
in  transports,  'run  to  my  arms;  glad  am  I,  George,  that 
you  killed  my  tree ;  for  you  have  paid  me  for  it  a  thousand 
fold.  Such  an  act  of  heroism  in  my  son  is  more  worth 
than  a  thousand  trees,  though  blossomed  with  silver,  and 
their  fruits  of  purest  gold.'  ' 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  with  Curious  Anecdotes,  Rev.  M.  L.  Weems,  p.  14. 

The  Father's  True  Moral  Stature 

So  little,  however,  has  the  character  of  Washington's 
father  been  considered  according  to  scientific  and  sociologi- 
cal methods  that  his  only  prominence  has  been  due  to  a 
little  affair  about  a  cherry-tree,  and  even  regarding  this 
his  true  moral  stature  has  not  been  properly  estimated. 
A  young  cherry-tree  appeared  from  widely  different 
standpoints  to  father  and  son  in  the  Washington  family. 
To  any  boy  with  a  hatchet  a  young  cherry-tree  says  "  come 
and  cut  me, "  as  distinctly  as  the  rear  elevation  of  a  dandy 
says  "come  and  kick  me"  to  a  well-shod  man  whose  brains 
are  in  his  head.  A  young  cherry-tree  is  as  straight  as  a 


26  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

ramrod,  its  bark  is  smooth  and  glistening  to  a  degree 
unattainable  by  any  other  bark,  and  its  whole  appearance 
is  unspeakably,  exasperatingly  self-sufficient.  George  hum- 
bled the  pride  of  his  father's  pet  cherry-tree;  and  every 
boy  who  has  ever  indulged  in  hatchet  practice  upon  similar 
woody  growth  knows  that  he  did  it  with  a  single  vigorous 
blow.  But  to  his  father,  living  in  a  new  country  and  three 
thousand  miles  away  from  the  land  of  good  nurseries  or 
desirable  stock  from  which  to  graft,  the  loss  of  the  tree 
was  serious.  So  when  the  little  boy  told  the  truth,  and  the 
father  said  that  he  would  rather  have  lost  a  thousand  cherry- 
trees  than  have  his  son  tell  a  lie,  he  exhibited  a  spirit  which, 
while  utterly  antiquated  and  unbusinesslike,  was  simply 
colossal  in  its  moral  proportions.  Were  any  father  to  talk 
like  that  in  the  present  age,  he  could  never  hope  to  get  his 
son  a  situation  even  as  an  office  boy;  but  those  days  were 
not  these  days,  when  absolute  truthfulness  is  the  most 
discouraging  of  business  vices. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  4. 

What  George's  "Pa"  Did  to  Startle  Him 

It  was  in  this  way  by  interesting  at  once  his  heart  and 
head,  that  Mr.  Washington  conducted  George  with  great 
ease  and  pleasure  along  the  happy  paths  of  virtue.  But 
well  knowing  that  his  beloved  charge,  soon  to  be  a  man, 
would  be  left  exposed  to  numberless  temptations,  both 
from  himself  and  from  others,  his  heart  throbbed  with  the 
tenderest  anxiety  to  make  him  acquainted  with  that  great 
Being,  whom  to  know  and  love  is  to  possess  the  surest 
defence  against  vice,  and  the  best  of  all  motives  to  virtue 
and  happiness.  To  startle  George  into  a  lively  sense  of 
his  Maker,  he  hit  upon  the  following  very  curious  but 
impressive  expedient: 

One  day  he  went  into  the  garden,  and  prepared  a  little 
bed  of  finely  pulverized  earth,  on  which  he  wrote  George's 
name  at  full,  in  large  letters — then  strewing  in  plenty  of 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  27 

cabbage  seed,  he  covered  them  up,  and  smoothed  all  over 
nicely  with  the  roller.  This  bed  he  purposely  prepared 
close  alongside  of  a  gooseberry  walk,  which  happening 
at  this  time  to  be  well  hung  with  ripe  fruit,  he  knew  would 
be  honoured  with  George's  visits  pretty  regularly  every  day. 
Not  many  mornings  had  passed  away  before  in  came  George, 
with  eyes  wild  rolling,  and  his  little  cheeks  ready  to  burst 
with  great  news. 

"  O  Pa !  come  here !  come  here ! ' ' 

"  What's  the  matter,  my  son?  what's  the  matter? " 

"O  come  here,  I  tell  you,  Pa:  come  here!  and  I'll  show 
you  such  a  sight  as  you  never  saw  in  all  your  lifetime.  " 

The  old  gentleman  suspecting  what  George  would  be 
at,  gave  him  his  hand,  which  he  seized  with  great  eagerness, 
and  tugging  him  along  through  the  garden,  led  him  point 
blank  to  the"  bed  whereon  was  inscribed,  in  large  letters, 
and  in  all  the  freshness  of  newly  sprung  plants,  the  full 
name  of 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

"  There,  Pa? "  said  George,'  quite  in  an  ecstasy  of  aston- 
ishment, "did  you  ever  see  such  a  sight  in  all  your  life- 
time?" 

"Why  it  seems  like  a  curious  affair,  sure  ^enough, 
George!" 

"But,  Pa,  who  did  make  it  there?  who  did  make  it 
there?" 

"It  grew  there  by  chance,  I  suppose,  my  son." 

"By  chance,  Pa!  O  no!  no!  it  never  did  grow  there 
by  chance,-  Pa.  Indeed  that  it  never  did!" 

"High!  why  not,  my  son?" 

"  Why  Pa,  did  you  ever  see  anybody's  name  in  a  plant 
bed  before?" 

"  Well,  but  George,  such  a  thing  might  happen,  though 
you  never  saw  it  before." 

"Yes,  Pa,  but  I  did  never  see  the  little  plants  grow 

1-4 


28  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

up  so  as  to  make  one  single  letter  of  my  name  before.  Now, 
how  could  they  grow  up  so  as  to  make  all  the  letters  of 
my  name,  and  then  standing  one  after  another,  to  spell 
my  name. so  exactly — and  all  so  neat  and  even  too,  at  top 
and  bottom!  O  Pa,  you  must  not  §ay  chance  did  all  this. 
Indeed  somebody  did  it;  and  I  daresay  now,  Pa,  you  did 
it  just  to  scare  me,  because  I  am  your  little  boy. " 

His  father  smiled,  and  said,  "  Well,  George,  you  have 
guessed  right.  I  indeed  did  it;  but  not  to  scare  you,  my 
son;  but  to  learn  you  a  great  thing  which  I  wish  you  to 
understand.  I  want,  my  son,  to  introduce  you  to  your 
true  Father." 

"  High,  Pa,  ain't  you  my  true  father,  that  has  loved  me, 
and  been  so  good  to  me  always?" 

"Yes,  George,  I  am  your  father,  as  the  world  calls  it; 
and  I  love  you  very  dearly  too.  But  yet  with  all  my  love 
for  you,  George,  I  am  but  a  poor  good-for-nothing  sort  of 
a  father  in  comparison  of  one  you  have." 

"Aye!  I  know  well  enough  whom  you  mean,  Pa. 
You  mean  God  Almighty;  don't  you?" 

"Yes,  my  son,  I  mean  Him  indeed.  He  is  your  true 
Father,  George." 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  with  Curious  Anecdotes,  Rev.  M.  L.  Weems,  p.  16. 

Giving  up  the  Leading-rein 

So  deeply  immersed  was  Mary  Washington  in  con- 
siderings  and  apprehensions  that  she  failed  to  notice  George, 
who  was  quietly  gathering  up  the  straggling  leading-rein, 
unbuckling  its  fastening,  and  tucking  it  into  a  pocket 
beneath  the  flap  of  his  saddle.  • 

Suddenly  she  remembered  that  she  had  rrot  resumed 
her  hold  of  the  long  strap.  "Have  you  lost  the  leading- 
rein,  George?"  she  asked,  looking  round  at  him. 

"No,  ma'am,"  he  replied,  straightening  himself  and 
meeting  her  eye  with  his  proud,  steady  look,  "but  I  think 
we  shall  need  it  no  more. " 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER'  29 

"  Give  it  to  me,  "  said  Mary  calmly. 

His  little  face  set  itself  in  hard  lines,  strangely  like 
those  on  his,  mother's  countenance. 

"  I  can  do  without  it  now, "  he  said. 

"That  is  for  me  to  judge, "  was  her  reply,  and  she  held 
out  her  hand.  They  were  walking  their  horses,  all  needing 
a  breathing  spell  after  the  recent  excitements. 

George's  lip  quivered,  but  he  pulled  the  strap  out 
from  its  hiding-place  and  handed  it  to  his  mother. 

"My  son,"  she  said,  "when  a  brave  man  hath  earned 
promotion,  it  is  his  commander  who  shall  confer  it."  And 
she  flung  the  strap  over  the  hedge. 

He  turned  to  her  with  a  passion  of  joy  in  his  face. 
"Thank  you,  ma'am,"  he  said,  and  then  added,  stretching 
out  his  hand  to  touch  her,  "  I  shall  trust  you  next  time, 
mamma." 

And  then  it  was  Mary  who  felt  that  she  had  been 
promoted. 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Eraser,  p.  174. 

Little  George  Washington 

Every  one  of  -my  little  children  4*as  seen  a  picture  of 
George  Washington,  I  am  sure. 

Of  course  all  these  are  pictures  of  a  strong,  handsome,, 
grown-up  man,  and  I  suppose  you  never  happened  to 
think  that  George  Washington  was  once  a  little  boy. 

But  ever  so  long  ago  he  was  as  small  as  you  are  now, 
and  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about  his  father  and  mother, 
his  home  and  his  little-boy  days. 

He  was  born  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago  in 
Virginia,  near  a  great  river  called  the  Potomac.  His 
father's  name  was  Augustine,  his  mother's  Mary,  and  he 
had  several  brothers  and  a  little  sister. 

They  all  lived  in  the  country,  on  a  farm,  or  a  plantation, 
as  they  called  it  in  Virginia.  The  Washington  house  stood 
in  the  middle  of  green  tobacco  fields  and  flowery  meadows, 


30  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  there  were  so  many  barns  and  storehouses  and  sheds 
round  about  it  that  they  made  quite  a  village  of  themselves. 
The  nearest  neighbors  lived  miles  away;  there  were  no 
railroads  nor  stages,  and  if  you  wanted  to  travel,  you  must 
ride  on  horseback  through  the  thick  woods,  or  you  might 
sail  in  little  boats  up  and  down  the  rivers. 

City  boys  and  girls  might  think,  perhaps,  that  little 
George  Washington  was  very  lonely  on  the  great  plantation, 
with  no  neighbor-boys  to  play  with ;  but  you  must  remember 
that  the  horses  and  cattle  and  sheep  and  dogs  on  a  farm 
make  the  dearest  of  playmates,  and  that  there  are  all  kinds 
of  pleasant  things  to  do  in  the  country  that  city  boys 
know  nothing  about. 

Little  George  played  out  of  doors  all  the  time  and 
grew  very  strong.  He  went-  fishing  and  swimming  in  the 
great  river,  he  ran  races  and  jumped  fences  with  his  brothers 
and  the  dogs,  he  threw  stones  across  the  brooks  and  when 
he  grew  a  larger  boy  he  even  learned  to  shoot. 

He  had  a  pretty  pony,  too,  named  "Hero,"  that  he 
loved  very  much,  and  that  he  used  to  ride  all  about  the 
plantation. 

Some  of  the  letters  have  been  kept  that  he  wrote  when 
he  was  a  little  boy,  and  he  talks  in  them  about  his  pony, 
and  his  books  with  pictures  of  elephants,  and  the  new  top 
he  is  going  to  have  soon. 

Think  of  that  great.  General  Washington  on  a  white 
horse  once  playing  with  a  little  humming  top  like  yours. 

The  Story  Hour,  Nora  A.  Smith,  p.  115. 

"Advantages"  George  Was  Spared 

Much  of  the  credit  for  the  character  of  the  embryo 
savior  of  the  country  may  be  attributed  to  the  freedom  of 
his  early  life  and  the  lack  of  unnatural  repression.  He  was 
allowed  to  see  a  house  on  fire  without  surreptitiously  follow- 
ing an  engine  and  being  punished  on  his  return,  for  the 
family  mansion  was  burned  to  the  ground  while  he  was 


a  mere  boy.  He  could  go  fishing  along  the  banks  of  a 
brook  without  stumbling  over  two  or  three  thousand  other 
boys  and  men  similarly  employed,  and  in  the  creek  that 
flowed  past  his  house  no  detestable  factory  or  oil-refinery 
refuse  had  driven  away  all  the  fish  but  suckers.  He  could 
take  a  header  into  deep  water  anywhere,  without  being 
chased  away  by  a  policeman.  There  were  no  graded 
schools  to  force  him  into  forgetting  all  that  he  had  learned 
at  home,  nor  any  truancy  agents  to  pounce  upon  him  from 
innocent  looking  doorways  as  he  strolled  cheerily  along 
thinking  deeply  about  nothing  in  particular.  He  was  fond 
of  throwing  stones ;  but  as  there  were  no  tramps  or  lightning- 
rod  men  in  the  country  in  his  day,  he  practised  at  throwing 
across  the  Rappahannock  River. 

He  was  spared  the  debilitating  influence  of  goody- 
goody  books;  neither  were  there  any  dime  novels,  so  he 
never  learned  to  adore  a  man  for  his  vices.  Toy-shops 
and  candy-stores  were  likewise  unknown,  so  the  little 
fellow  was  obliged  to  find  his  diversions  out  of  doors,  and 
how  ably  he  did  it  may  be  inferred  from  the  superb  physical 
and  moral  manhood  that  he  displayed  during  his  entire 
subsequent  life.  . 

Washington  attended  such  schools  as  the  country 
afforded;  but  as  natural  science  in  those  days  was  con- 
sidered first  cousin  to  witchcraft,  text-books  in  geography 
and  history  were  unknown,  and  grammar  had  not  begun  to 
shorten  human  life,  his  education  was  restricted  to  the 
three  R's — readin',  'ritin',  and  'rithmetic.  His  own 
writings,  at  every  stage  of  his  career,  prove  beyond  the 
possibility  of  a  doubt  that  he  never  saw  a  spelling-book, 
and  that  the  country  spelling  school  had  not  been  intro- 
duced into  Virginia.  That  he  did  not  learn  to  spell,  is  of  no 
particular  consequence;  but  that  he  missed  the  unequalled 
facilities  for  innocent  flirtation  which  the  spelling-school 
affords  to  the  young  people  of  a  sparsely  settled  country, 
is  a  matter  for  national  regret,  for  to  thisjprivation  must 


32  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

be  attributed  that  defect  in  his  early  education  which 
gave  his  strong  and  handsome  face  an  expression  of 
solemnity. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  5. 

Schools  in  Virginia 

There  were  no  good  schools  in  Virginia  at  that  time. 
In  fact,  the  people  did  not  care  much  about  learning. 

There  were  few  educated  men  besides  the  parsons,  and 
even  some  of  the  parsons  were  very  ignorant. 

It  was  the  custom  of  some  of  the  richest  families  to 
send  their  eldest  sons  to  England  to  the  great  schools  there. 
But  it  is  doubtful  if  these  young  men  learned  much  about 
books. 

They  spent  a  winter  or  two  in  the  gay  society  of  London, 
and  were  taught  the  manners  of  gentlemen — and  that  was 
about  all. 

,  George  Washington's  father,  when  a  young  man,  had 
spent  some  time  at  Appleby  School  in  England,  and  George's 
half-brothers,  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  who  were  several 
years  older  than  he,  had  been  sent  to  the  same  school. 

But  book-learning  was  not  thought  to  be  of  much  use. 
To  know  how  to  manage  the  business  of  a  plantation,  to 
be  polite  to  one's  equals,  to  be  a  leader  in  the  affairs  of  the 
colony — this  was  thought  to  be  the  best  education. 

And  so,  for  most  of  the  young  men,  it  was  enough  if 
they  could  read  and  write  a  little  and  keep  a  few  simple 
accounts.  As  for  the  girls,  the  parson  might  give  them  a 
few  lessons  now  and  then;  and  if  they  learned  good  man- 
ners and  could  write  letters  to  their  friends,  what  more 
could  they  need? 

George  Washington's  first  teacher  was  a  poor  sexton, 
whose  name  was  Mr.  Hobby.  There  is  a  story  that  he  had 
been  too  poor  to  pay  his  passage  from  England,  and  that 
he  had,  therefore,  been  sold  to  Mr.  Washington  as  a  slave 
for  a  short  time ;  but  how  true  this  is  I  cannot  say. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  33 

From  Mr.  Hobby,  George  learned  to  spell  easy  words, 
and  perhaps  to  write  a  little;  but  though  he  afterward 
became  a  very  careful  and  good  penman,  he  was  a  poor 
speller  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Four  Great  Americans,  James  Baldwin,  Ph.D.,  p.  14. 

Peter  and  "Hobby" 

While  I  was  a  child,  my  father,  as  I  have  said,  made 
many  voyages  to  England  and  fetched  back  with  him 
convicts,  and  perhaps  also  indentured  servants.  Often 
in  those  days  some  of  the  unfortunate  people  thus  sent 
to  the  colonies  were  under  sentence  for  political  offences, 
but  many,  of  course,  for  crimes.  One  of  these,  a  convict 
I  was  told,  was  my  first  schoolmaster.  We  called  him 
Hobby,  which  was,  I  believe,  a  nickname ;  but  he  was  named 
Grove,  and  was  sexton  of  the  Falmouth  church,  two  miles 
away.  Of  what  our  sexton  schoolmaster  had  been  con- 
victed I  never  heard,  but  of  this  I  am  assured,  that  my 
father  would  not  have  used  as  a  schoolmaster  a  common 
thief.  I  used  to  ride  the  two  miles  to  the  "field-school," 
as  they  called  it,  in  front  of  a  slave  named  Peter,  and 
later  was  allowed  a  pony,  to  my  mother's  alarm  when  he 
would  tumble  me  off,  as  happened  now  and  then.  Hobby 
was  a  short  man,  with  one  eye,  and  too  good-humored  or  too 
timid  to  be  a  good  teacher,  even  of  the  a-b-c's  and  the 
little  else  we  learned. 

My  father  was  kind  to  this  man,  and  perhaps  knew  his 
history.  He  would  even  have  allowed  him  the  use  of  the 
rod,  with  the  aid  of  which  I  might  have  profited  more 
largely,  for  I  am  of  his  opinion  that  children  should  be 
strictly  brought  up.  Hobby,  being  of  a  humorous  turn, 
seems  to  me,  as  I  remember  him,  to  have  resembled  the 
grave-digger  in  "Hamlet."  He  sometimes  amused  and 
at  other  times  terrified  us  by  tales  of  London  or  of  his  recent 
life  as  a  sexton.  He  believed  many  of  the  negro  super- 
stitions— as  that  if  a  snake's  head  was  cut  off  the  tail 


34  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

would  live  until  it  thundered — and  was  much  afraid  of 
having  what  he  called  black  magic  put  upon  him  by  the 
negroes. 

I  did  not  learn  much  from  Hobby  and  preferred  to  be 
out  of  doors.  My  father  considered,  I  believe,  that,  as  I 
was  a  younger  son  and  must  in  some  way  support  myself, 
I  should  be  well  trained  in  both  mind  and  body,  and  had  he 
lived  the  chance  of  the  former  might  have  been  bettered. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D., 
P.  29- 

His  Earliest  Playfellows 

The  first  playmate  Washington  had,  outside  of  his  own 
immediate  family,  was  another  Lawrence  Washington,  a 
very  distant  cousin,  who  lived  at  Choptank  on  the  Potomac, 
and  who,  with  his  brother,  Robert  Washington,  early  won 
Washington's  regard,  and  kept  it  through  life. 

It  was  at  Choptank,  with  Lai  and  Bob,  Washington 
first  met  with  traffic  between  the  old  world  and  the  new. 
There  was  no  money  used  except  tobacco  notes,  which 
passed  among  merchants  in  London  and  Amsterdam  as 
cash.  Foreign  ships  brought  across  the  ocean  goods  that 
the  Virginians  needed,  and  the  captains  sold  the  goods  for 
these  tobacco  notes.  Much  of  Washington's  time  was 
spent  with  these  boys. 

While  at  school  under  Mr.  Hobby,  he  used  to  divide  his 
playmates  into  parties  and  armies.  One  of  them  was 
called  the  French  and  the  other  American.  A  big  boy 
named  William  Bustle  commanded  the  former ;  George 
commanded  the  latter,  and  every  day  with  cornstalks  for 
muskets  and  calabashes  [gourds]  for  drums,  the  two  armies 
would  turn  out  and  march  and  fight. 

From  the  (N.  Y.)  Evangelist,  Anonymous. 

George  Tells  His  Father  What  He  Hopes  to  Be 

"Tell  me  something  else,"  said  George's  father.  "If 
you  are  only  anxious  to  be  a  soldier,  how  is  it  that  you 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  35 

complain  of  not  being  taught  how  to  steer  a  ship  or  build  a 
bridge.  Surely  these  things  have  little  to  do  with  leading 
men  to  battle?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  boy;  "perhaps  I  am 
mistaken,  but  I  thought  if  I  wanted  to  take  Fredericksburg 
with  my  army  here  in  Pine  Grove,  we  should  need  a  bridge. 
Ought  not  a  soldier  to  know  almost  everything?  There'd 
be  forts  to  build  and  navies  to  give  orders  to,  and — all 
sorts  of  things  I  know  nothing  about.  Won't  you  have 
me  taught?  I'll  work  so  diligently,  and  learn  the  other 
things  too,  if  you  wish,  sir?" 

"  Do  you  feel  too  old  to  sit  on  my  knees? "  said  Augus- 
tine, suddenly  leaning  forward  and  stretching  out  his  arms. 

George,  who  had  been  standing  before  the  fire  during 
all  this  debate,  came  to  his  father  with  a  bound,  and  Augus- 
tine drew  him  very  close  to  him. 

"My  dear,  gallant  little  man,"  he  said,  "I  think  you 
have  truly  hit  upon  the  cleanest,  finest  trade  in  the  world. 
It  takes  more  virtue  to  be  a  good  officer  than  to  preach  \ 
fine  sermons,  and  there  never  was  a  case  taken  to  the  lawyers 
that  the  soldier  could  not  have  settled  more  quickly  and 
honorably.  But,  boy,  the  soldier  is  made  at  home,  or 
he'll  never  be  such  on  the  battlefield.  I  have  asked  you 
many  questions,  and  now  I  must  ask  you  one  or  two  more. 
Will  you  think  well  before  you  answer  me? " 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  George,  puckering  up  his  brow,  and 
squaring  his  shoulders,  but  never  taking  his  eyes  from  his 
father's  face. 

"Well,"  went  on  Mr.  Washington,  "you  have  thought 
of  fighting,  of  glory.  There  is  another  side  to  the  question. 
Suppose  after  marches  and  wounds,  such  stiff,  sore  wounds, 
George — after  long  weeks  of  starvation  and  misery,  and  cold 
and  wet — that  you  tried  your  best  and  were  beaten — not  a 
little  beating,  but  a  terrible  disheartening,  humiliating 
defeat.  Such  as  your  brother  Lawrence  had  to  suffer  with 
poor  Admiral  Vernon  at  San  Lazaro.  What  would  you  do  ? " 


36  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

i 

George  thought  a  minute  over  the  ugly  picture.  Then 
he  made  a  grimace  and  said,  "  I  think,  sir,  I  would  take  one 
good  meal  from  the  enemy,  he'd  owe  me  that,  for  the  fun 
he'd  had  in  beating  me,  and  then  I'd  thank  him — and  .try 
again.  I'd  have  a  better  chance,  because  he'd  be  less  afraid 
of  me  after  beating  me  once. " 

"  Right,  "  said  his  father,  "  and  if  you  are  never  beaten, 
remember  the  prescription.  But  a  soldier  has  other  diffi- 
culties. How  about  carrying  out  disastrous  bad  orders 
from  a  superior?  Would  you  obey  them?" 

"Not  if  I  could  help  it,"  laughed  the  boy. 

"And  if  you  couldn't  help  it?" 

"  I'd  obey,  I  suppose.  But  I'd  find  a  cleverer  man  to 
serve  the  next  time,"  replied  George. 

"And  suppose  the  superior  were  the  king?"  pursued 
Augustine.  "Loyalty  is  a  soldier's  first  duty,  and  there 
have  been  monstrous  bad  kings,  you  know.  " 

"  But  they  may  be  good  generals! "  persisted  the  lad. 

"  I  mean  bad  in  every  way,  a  bad  man,  a  bad  ruler,  a 
bad  general,"  his  father  replied.  "What  would  you  do 
then?" 

"Make  another,"  said  George,  quietly. 

Augustine  gazed  at  his  son  in  amazement.  "Upon 
my  word,  I  believe  you  would,"  he  explained.  "Shake 
hands,  George!" 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Eraser,  p.  238. 

Two  Boyish  Letters 

Within  a  few  years  past,  there  have  been  published 
two  little  letters,  one  pretending  to  be  from  Richard  Henry 
Lee,  at  the  age  of  eight,  and  the  other  the  reply  to  it,  by 
George  Washington,  at  the  age  of  nine.  They  will  amuse 
our  readers  and  we  therefore  print  them.  But  it  is  not  as 
a  bit  of  history,  that  they  appear  here.  They  are  probably 
an  illustration  of  clever  literary  work,  attempting,  at  the 
end  of  a  century,  to  reproduce  the  phrases  of  the  past. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  37 

They  must  be  read  with  extreme  caution.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  very  improbable  that  in  such  a  family  as  that  of 
the  Lees,  these  letters  should  have  been  hidden  for  a  hundred 
years.  Indeed  no  one  explains  to  us  whether  Master  Rich- 
ard Henry  Lee,  at  that  early  age,  had  a  letter  book  in  which 
he  kept  rough  copies  of  the  notes  which  he  was  going  to 
send  to  a  friend.  In  the  second  place,  the  letters  have  the 
difficulty  which  all  such  imagined  correspondence  has,  that 
they  show  us  just  what  we  already  know,  and  that  they  do 
not  add  to  our  information  anything  of  even  the  very 
smallest  detail.  There  is  a  very  clever  effort  made  to 
sustain  the  reputation  which  Washington  afterwards  ac- 
quired for  spelling  well,  and  poor  Master  Lee  is  relegated 
back  to  the  ranks  of  those  who  cannot  spell.  The  letters, 
however,  must  be  classed  with  a  very  large  number  of  myths, 
some  of  them  interesting  and  some  of  them  very  stupid, 
which  the  enthusiasm  of  a  hundred  years  has  encouraged 
in  relation  to  Washington  and  the  different  details  of  his 
career.  These  make  the  misery  of  his  biographer. 

The  boy  letters  are  these : 

(From  Richard  H.  Lee  to  George  Washington.) 

"Pa  brought  me  two  pretty  books  full  of  pictures  he 
got  them  in  Alexandria  they  have  pictures  of  dogs  and  cats 
and  tigers  and  elefants  and  ever  so  many  pretty  things 
cousin  bids  me  send  you  one  of  them  it  has  a  picture  of  an 
elefant  and  a  little  indian  boy  on  his  back  like  uncle  jo's 
sam  pa  says  if  I  learn  my  tasks  good  he  will  let  uncle  jo 
bring  me  to  see  you  will  you  ask  your  ma  to  let  you  come  to 
see  me 

"RICHARD  HENRY  LEE." 

(To  which  this  is  the  answer:} 

"  Dear  Dickey,  I  thank  you  very  much  for  the  pretty 
picture  book  you  gave  me.  Sam  asked  me  to  show  him 

279307 


38  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  pictures  and  I  showed  him  all  the  pictures  in  it;  and 
I  read  to  him  how  the  tame  Elephant  took  care  of  the 
master's  little  boy,  and  put  him  on  his  back  and  would  not 
let  anybody  touch  his  master's  little  son.  I  can  read  three 
or  four  pages  sometimes  without  missing  a  word.  Ma  says 
I  may  go  to  see  you  and  stay  all  day  with  you  next  week  if 
it  be  not  rainy.  She  says  I  may  ride  my  pony  Hero  if 
Uncle  Ben  will  go  with  me  and  lead  Hero.  I  have  a  little 
piece  of  poetry 'about  the  picture  book  you  gave  me,  But  I 
mustn't  tell  you  who  wrote  the  poetry. 

"  G.  W.'s  compliments  to  R.  H.  L., 
And  likes  his  book  full  well, 
Henceforth  will  count  him  his  friend, 
And  hopes  many  happy  days  he  may  spend. 
"  Your  good  friend, 

"GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 

The  Life  of  George  Washington  Studied  Anew,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  p.  7. 

Brother  Lawrence 

In  those  days  the  means  of  instruction  in  Virginia  were 
limited  and  it  was  the  custom  among  the  wealthy  planters 
to  send  their  sons  to  England  to  complete  their  education. 
This  was  done  by  Augustine  Washington  with  his  eldest 
son  Lawrence,  then  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  whom  he 
no  doubt  considered  the  future  head  of  the  family.  .  . 

When  George  was  about  seven  or  eight  years  old  his 
brother  Lawrence  returned  from  England,  a  well-educated 
and  accomplished  youth.  There  was  a  difference  of  fourteen 
years  in  their  ages,  which  may  have  been  one  cause  of  the 
strong  attachment  which  took  place  between  them.  Law- 
rence looked  down  with  a  protecting  eye  upon  the  boy 
whose  dawning  intelligence  and  perfect  rectitude  won  his 
regard ;  while  George  looked  up  to  his  manly  and  cultivated 
brother  as  a  model  in  mind  and  manners.  We  call  par- 
ticular attention  to  this  brotherly  interchange  of  affection, 
from  the  influence  it  had  on  all  the  future  career  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  FATHER  39 

Lawrence  Washington  had  something  of  the  old 
military  spirit  of  the  family,  and  circumstances  soon  called 
it  into  action.  Spanish  depredations  on  British  commerce 
had  recently  provoked  reprisals.  Admiral  Vernon,  com- 
mander-in-chief  in  the  West  Indies,  had  accordingly  cap- 
tured Porto  Bello,  on  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  The  Spaniards 
were  preparing  to  revenge  the  blow;  the  French  were 
fitting  out  ships  to  aid  them.  Troops  were  embarked  in 
England  for  another  campaign  in  the  West  Indies;  a  regi- 
ment of  four  batalions  was  to  be  raised  in  the  colonies  and 
sent  to  join  them  in  Jamaica.  There  was  a  sudden  out- 
break of  military  ardor  in  the  province;  the  sound  of  fife 
and  drum  was  heard  in  the  villages,  with  the  parade  of 
the  recruiting  parties.  Lawrence  Washington,  now  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  caught  the  infection.  He  obtained  a 
captain's  commission  in  the  newly  raised  regiment,  and 
embarked  with  it  for  the  West  Indies  in  1740.  He  served 
in  the  joint  expeditions  of  Admiral  Vernon  and  General 
Went  worth,  in  the  land  forces  commanded  by  the  latter, 
and  acquired  the  friendship  and  confidence  of  both  those 
officers.  He  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Carthagena,  when  it 
was  bombarded  by  the  fleet,  and  when  the  troops  attempted 
to  escalade  the  citadel.  It  was  an  ineffectual  attack;  the 
ships  could  not  get  near  enough  to  throw  their  shells  into 
the  town,  and  the  scaling-ladders  proved  too  short.  That 
part  of  the  attack,  however,  with  which  Lawrence  was 
concerned,  distinguished  itself  by  its  bravery.  The  troops 
sustained  unflinching  a  destructive  fire  for  several  hours, 
and  at  length  retired  with  honor,  their  small  force  having 
sustained  a  loss  of  about  six  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded. 

Lawrence  Washington  returned  home  in  the  autumn, 
of  1742,  the  campaigns  in  the  West  Indies  being  ended, 
and  Admiral  Vernon  and  General  Wentworth  being  recalled 
to  England.  It  was  the  intention  of  Lawrence  to  rejoin 


40  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

his  regiment  in  that  country,  and  seek  promotion  in  the 
army,  but  circumstances  completely  altered  his  plans. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  pp.  45  to  48. 

The  Fairfax  Family 

The  Hon.  William  Fairfax  .  .  .  resided  at  a 
beautiful  seat  called  Belvoif,  a  few  miles  below  Mount 
Vernon,  and  on  the  same  woody  ridge  bordering  the  Potomac. 

William  Fairfax  was  a  man  of  liberal  education  and 
intrinsic  worth;  he  had  seen  much  of  the  world,  and  his 
mind  had  been  enriched  and  ripened  by  varied  and  adven- 
turous experience.  Of  an  ancient  English  family  in  York- 
shire, he  had  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  twenty-one; 
had  served  with  honor  both  in  the  East  and  West  Indies, 
and  officiated  as  Governor  of  New  Providence  after  having 
aided  in  rescuing  it  from  pirates.  For  some  years  past  he 
had  resided  in  Virginia,  to  manage  the  immense  landed 
estates  of  his  cousin,  Lord  Fairfax,  and  lived  at  Belvoir  in 
the  style  of  an  English  country  gentleman,  surrounded  by 
an  intelligent  and  cultivated  family  of  sons  and  daughters. 

An  intimacy  with  a  family  like  this,  in  which  the 
frankness  and  simplicity  of  rural  and  colonial  life  were  united 
with  European  refinement,  could  not  but  have  a  beneficial 
effect  in  moulding  the  character  and  manners  of  a  somewhat 
home-bred  schoolboy.  It  was  probably  his  intercourse 
with  them,  and  his  ambition  to  acquit  himself  well  in  their 
society,  that  set  him  upon  compiling  a  code  of  morals  and 
manners  which  still  exists  in  a  manuscript  in  his  own  hand- 
writing, entitled,  "Rules  for  Behaviour  in  Company  and 
Conversation. "  It  is  extremely  minute  and  circumstantial. 
Some  of  the  rules  for  personal  deportment  extend  to  such 
trivial  matters,  and  are  so  quaint  and  formal  as  almost  to 
provoke  a  smile;  but,  in  the  main,  a  better  manual  of 
conduct  could  not  be  put  into  the  hands  of  a  youth.  The 
whole  code  evinces  that  rigid  propriety  and  self-control  to 
which  he  subjected  himself  and  by  which  he  brought  all 


GEORGE  AXD  HIS  FATHER  41 

the   impulses   of   a   somewhat    ardent   temper   under   con- 
scientious government. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  53. 

I  Lost  My  Best  Friend 

In  1742  Lawrence  came  from  Carthagena,  and  meant 
to  continue  in  the  service,  but,  after  our  sudden  way,  he 
fell  in  love  with  Anne,  the  daughter  of  William  Fairfax  of 
Belvoir,  our  neighbor,  the  cousin  and  agent  of  my  lord  of 
that  name,  and  this,  luckily  for  my  own  character,  ended 
his  desire  for  a  military  life.  I  too  well  recall  the  event 
which  delayed  his  marriage.  I  was  at  this  time,  April  17, 
1743,  being  eleven  years  old,  on  a  visit  to  my  cousins  at 
Choptank,  some  thirty  miles  away.  We  were  very  rrerry 
at  supper,  when  Peter,  who  was  supposed  to  look  after  me, 
arrived  with  the  news  of  my  father's  sudden  illness.  It  was 
the  first  of  my  too  many  experiences  of  the  ravage  time 
brings  to  all  men.  I  heard  the  news  with  a  kind  of  awe,  but 
without  realizing  how  serious  in  many  ways  was  this  sum- 
mons. I  rode  home  behind  Peter  and  found  my  mother  in 
a  state  of  distraction.  She  led  me  to  the  bedside  of  my 
father,  crying  out,  "He  is  dying."  The  children  were 
around  him,  and  he  was  groaning  in  great  pain;  but  he 
kissed  us  in  turn,  and  said  to  me,  "Be  good  to  your  mother." 
I  may  say  that  throughout  her  life  I  have  kept  the  promise 
I  made  him  as  I  knelt,  crying,  at  his  bedside.  He  died  that 
night,  and  I  lost  my  best  friend. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  o-f  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell. 
M.D.,p.  37. 


Principal  Events  of  Washington's  First  Twenty  Years 
Franklin  published  "Poor  Richard's  Almanac"  -.1732 

George  Washington  born   1 73  2 

Oglethorpe   settled  in  Georgia  1 733 

King  George's  War 1 744 

Capture  of  Louisburg  .  . . i  "45 

Franklin  discovered  that  lightning  and  electricity 
are  the  same J752 


CHAPTER  III 
GEORGE  AND  His  MOTHER 

The  Widow  and  Her  Brood 

George,  now  eleven  years  of  age,  and  the  other  children 
of  the  second  marriage,  had  been  left  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  their  mother,  to  whom  was  intrusted  the  proceeds 
of  all  their  property  until  they  should  severally  come  of 
age.  She  proved  herself  worthy  of  the  trust.  Endowed 
with  plain,  direct  good  sense,  thorough  conscientiousness, 
and  prompt  decision,  she  governed  her  farr.ily  strictly,  but 
kindly,  exacting  deference  while  she  inspired  affection. 
George,  being  her  eldest  son,  was  thought  to  be  her  favorite, 
yet  she  never  gave  him  undue  preference,  and  the  implicit 
deference  exacted  from  him  in  childhood  continued  to  be 
habitually  observed  by  him  to  the  day  of  her  death.  He 
inherited  from  her  a  high  temper  and  a  spirit  of  command, 
but  her  early  precepts  and  example  taught  him  to  restrain 
and  govern  that  temper,  and  to  square  his  conduct  on  the 
exact  principles  of  equit^  and  justice. 

Tradition  gives  an  interesting  picture  of  the  widow, 
with  her  little  flock  gathered  round  her,  as  was  her  daily 
wont,  reading  to  them  lessons  of  religion  and  morality  out 
of  some  standard  work.  Her  favorite  volume  was  Sir 
Matthew  Hale's  Contemplations,  moral  and  divine.  The 
admirable  maxims  therein  contained,  for  outward  action 
as  well  as  self-government,  sank  deep  into  the  mind  of 
George,  and,  doubtless,  had  a  great  influence  in  forming 
his  character.  They  certainly  were  exemplified  in  his  con- 
duct throughout  life.  This  mother's  manual,  bearing  his 
mother's  name,  Mary  Washington,  written  with  her  own 
hand,  was  ever  preserved  by  him  with  filial  care,  and  may 

(42) 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  43 

still  be  seen  in  the  archives  of  Mount  Vernon.  A  precious 
document.  Let  those  who  wish  to  know  the  moral  founda- 
tion of  his  character  consult  its  pages. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  49. 

Work  on  "Ferry  Farm" 

The  plantation  was  on  the  Rappahannock,  opposite 
the  town.  It  was  called  "Pine  Grove,"  from  a  body  of 
great  trees  near  the  house.  The  negroes  sometimes  called 
it  "Ferry  Farm." 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mary  Washington 
gave  her  life  to  the  care  of  her  family,  with  the  devotion  of 
a  great  heart  and  mind.  Her  stepson,  Lawrence  Wash- 
ington, was  her  adviser.  The  plantation  raised  wool,  flax, 
tobacco,  and  corn;  carding  and  spinning  wool  were  carried 
on  in  the  house.  Spinning-wheels  buzzed  in  the  busy  rooms, 
which  looked  out  on  great  fields  and  gardens.  The  Rappa- 
hannock flowed  in  full  view,  and  the  family  at  Pine  Grove 
were  happy  and  prosperous. 

Here  George  Washington  passed  his  early  years,  at 
times  visiting  his  half-brother,  Lawrence,  who  married,  in 
the  year  after  his  father's  death,  Annie  Fairfax,  the  daughter 
of  Hon.  William  Fairfax,  of  Belvoir,  an  elegant  estate 
adjoining  Mount  Vernon,  which  later  became  George 
Washington's  own  home. 

The  estates  of  Belvoir,  Mount  Vernon,  and  the  landed 
aristocracy  of  Virginia  were  very  large,  and  Greenway 
Court  surpassed  them  all  in  size,  as  it  was  intended  that  it 
should  do  some  day  in  the  grandeur  of  its  manor-house. 
The  home  of  Mary  Washington  was  humble,  but  most  of 
the  houses  of  the  Virginian  planters  were  large,  elegant,  and 
richly  furnished. 

The  Boys  of  Greenway  Court,  Hezekiah  Butterworth,  p.  66. 

His  First  Hunt 

I  was  at  this  time  more  about  the  stables  than  was 
allowed  under  my  father's  rule,  and  did,  in  fact,  much  as  I 

1-5 


44  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

liked  out  of  school  hours.  It  so  happened  that  once,  on 
a  Saturday,  there  being  no  school,  I  was  very  early  at  the 
stables,  and,  as  there  was  no  one  to  hinder,  made  the  groom 
saddle  a  hunter  we  had.  On  this  I  made  my  appearance  at 
a  meet  for  fox-hunting,  four  miles  from  home,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  gentry.  They  asked  me  if  I  could  stay 
on,  and  if  the  horse  knew  he  had  anyone  on  his  back.  How- 
ever, the  big  sorrel  carried  me  well,  and  knew  his  business 
better  than  I  did.  I  saw  two  foxes  killed,  and  this  was  my 
first  hunt;  but  as  I  rode  home  my  horse  went  lame,  and, 
to  save  him  I  dismounted  and  led  him.  Towards  noon 
when  we  were  come  to  the  farm  stable,  I  found  the  over- 
seer, with  a  whip  in  his  hand,  swearing  at  Sampson,  and 
making  as  if  to  beat  him.  I  ran  behind  them  and  snatched 
away  the  whip.  The  overseer  turned  and,  seeing  me,  said 
he  meant  to  punish  Sampson  for  letting  me  take  a  horse 
which  was  sold  to  go  to  Williamsburg.  When  he  knew  the 
horse  was  lame  he  was  still  more  angry;  but  I  declared  I 
was  to  blame,  and  no  one  else,  and  said  he  should  first  whip 
me.  He  said  no  more,  except  that  my  mother  would  say 
what  was  to  be  done.  I  think  he  made  no  report  of  me,  and 
certainly  my  mother  said  nothing.  When  the  overseer 
had  walked  away,  the  old  servant  thanked  me,  and  said 
no  one  had  ever  struck  him,  and  that  it  would  be  his  death. 
This  seemed  strange  to  me,  a  boy,  for  the  slaves  were  whipped 
like  children,  and  thought  as  little  of  it.  Sampson  said  to 
me  that  I  was  like  my  father,  and  that  when  I  was  angry  I 
became  red  and  then  pale,  and  that  I  must  never  get  angry 
with  a  horse. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D., 
p.  45. 

Three  Important  Years 

My  father  died  in  April,  1743,  and  Lawrence  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Fairfax  in  June  of  that  year.  It  was  fortunate 
for  me  that  my  brother's  wife,  Anna  Fairfax,  soon  shared 
the  constant  affection  felt  for  me  by  her  husband  Lawrence. 


WASHINGTON'S    AUTOGRAPHS    AT    DIFFERENT    PERIODS 

(At  13,  17,  25,  44  and  67  years  of  age.    The  last  signature  was  made  four 
days  before  his  death. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  45 

Austin,  as  we  usually  called  Augustine,  also  embarked 
into  the  matrimonial  state  as  the  husband  of  Anne  Aylett 
of  Westmoreland,  who  brought  him  a  large  property. 

The  next  three  years  of  my  young  life  were  important. 
I  learned  very  soon  from  my  mother  that,  when  of  age,  I 
would  have  a  moderate  estate  and  insufficient.  It  is  a 
happy  thing  that  children  have  no  power  to  realize  what 
money  means  to  their  elders,  else  I  might  have  been  set 
against  Lawrence  and  thought  my  father  unjust/  . 
After  my  father's  death,  and  in  the  absence  of  my  elder 
brothers,  the  house  and  farm  soon  showed  the  want  of  a 
man's  care,  and  we  boys  enjoyed  at  this  time  almost  un-- 
limited  freedom.  My  older  brothers  saw  it,  and  felt  that  I, 
at  least,  might  suffer,  being  of  an  age  and  nature  to  need 
discipline  and  to  be  guided.  In  fact,  I  delighted  to  skip 
away  from  my  man,  Peter,  and  find  indulgence  in  roasting 
ears  of  Indian  corn  in  the  forbidden  cabins  of  the  field- 
slaves,  or  in  coon-hunts  at  night,  when  all  the  house  was 
asleep. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  4I. 

In  Mr.  Williams's  School 

While  matters  concerning  the  estate  were  being  dis- 
cussed, Lawrence  soon  discovered  so  much  of  my  too  great 
freedom  that  he  and  my  half-brother  Augustine  insisted 
that  I  should  go  to  live  for  a  time  with  the  latter,  near  to 
whose  abode  was  a  good  school. 

It  was  a  long  ride  across  the  neck  and  down  to  Pope's 
Creek  on  the  Potomac,  and  I  was  a  tired  lad  when  we  rode 
at  evening  up  to  the  door  of  the  house  of  Wakefield,  where 
I  was  born  eleven  years  before. 

Here  began  a  new  life  for  me.  Anne  Aylett,  Mrs. 
Augustine  Washington,  was  a  kind  woman,  very  orderly 
in  her  ways,  and  handsome.  After  two  days  Peter  was  sent 
home,  and  I  was  allowed  to  ride  alone  to  a  Mr.  Williams's 
school  at  Oak  Grove,  four  miles  away. 


46  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

I  took  very  easily  to  arithmetic,  and  later,  to  mathe- 
matic  studies.  I  remember  with  what  pleasure  and  pride  I 
accompanied  Mr.  Williams  when  he  went  to  survey  some 
meadows  on  Bridges'  Creek.  To  discover  that  what  could 
be  learned  at  school  might  be  turned  to  use  in  setting  out  the 
bounds  of  land,  gave  me  the  utmost  satisfaction.  I  have 
always  had  this  predilection  for  such  knowledge  as  can  be 
put  to  practical  uses,  and  was  never  weary  of  tramping  after 
my  teacher,  which  much  surprised  my  sister-in-law.  I  took 
less  readily  to  geography  and  history.  Some  effort  was  made 
(but  this  was  later)  to  instruct  me  in  the  rudiments  of  Latin, 
•but  it  was  not  kept  up,  and  a  phrase  or  two  I  found  wrote 
later  in  a  copy-book  is  all  that  remains  to  me  of  that  tongue. 

I  much  regret  that  I  never  learned  to  spell  very  well 
or  to  write  English  with  elegance.  As  the  years  went  by, 
I  improved  as  to  both  defects,  through  incessant  care  on  my 
part  and  copying  my  letters  over  and  over.  Great  skill 
in  the  use  of  language  I  have  never  possessed,  but  I  have 
always  been  able  to  make  my  meaning  so  plain  in  what  I 
wrote  that  no  one  could  fail  to  understand  what  I  desired 
to  make  known. 

The  Youth  of  Washington.  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell. 
M.D.   p.  48. 

George  and  the  Younger  Children 

The  two  years  that  had  passed  away  had  brought  more 
developments  than  changes  in  the  Washington  home.  George 
and  Betty  presented  strong  contrasts  of  character,  but  were 
inseparable  allies,  ruling  unquestioningly  over  their  three 
little  brothers.  Charles,  the  youngest  of  the  three,  was  at 
this  time  about  five  years  old,  and  had  just  been  pro- 
moted to  the  honour  of  going  to  school  with  his  seniors. 
It  was  but  a  parish  school,  some  two  miles  distant  from 
Pine  Grove,  and  the  children  greatly  enjoyed  their  rides 
thither  in  the  morning,  and  home  again  at  night.  Betty 
and  Samuel  generally  returned  earlier  than  George,  who  felt 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  47 

responsible  not  only  for  the  safety  of  the  two  smaller  boys, 
but  for  their  horsemanship.  He  was  much  distressed 
to  find  that,  in  spite  of  his  admonitions,  the  fat  little  legs 
would  still  stick  out  at  a  violent  angle  from  the  equally 
fat  ponies'  sides,  and  if  they  met  other  riders  in  the  country 
roads,  would  put  himself  and  his  steed  between  them  and 
the  little  brothers,  who,  he  felt,  as  yet  did  no  credit  to  their 
teacher.  George,  already  a  fearless  and  graceful  rider,  was 
always  the  head  of  the  little  band;  he  was  a  brave  and 
handsome  boy,  resembling  both  father  and  mother,  as  the 
first  child  of  a  happy  love  so  often  does.  Full  of  spirits, 
ready  for  any  adventure,  the  gallant  little  lad  had  a  deep 
fund  of  sense  and  principle,  and  never  shirked  nor  neglected 
his  responsibilities  towards  his  juniors.  Mary  knew  that 
in  all  circumstances  where  those  two  great  qualities — con- 
science and  courage — were  required,  George  would  not  fail. 
Did  his  quick  spirits  lead  him  into  some  boyish  scrape,  the 
other  children  were  never  involved  in  it ;  and  his  first  step, 
on  realizing  what  he  had  done,  was  always  to  seek  out  his 
mother  and  say,  "  I  fear  you  will  be  displeased,  ma'am ; 
but  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me.  I  have —  '  lamed  a  pony, 
perhaps,  or  left  the  gate  of  the  farm-yard  open,  or  torn  a 
Sunday  coat  in  climbing  for  apples,  or  what  not.  Mary 
was  never  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  author  of  a  bit  of  mischief 
if  the  author  were  George ;  and  both  she  and  Augustine  made 
a  point  of  encouraging  this  openness  in  all  the  children  by 
awarding  very  Hght  punishment  when  the  fault  was  bravely 
confessed.  Both  of  them  would  have  preferred  to  lose 
everything  they  possessed  rather  than  frighten  a  child  into 
cowardly  deceit. 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Eraser,  p.  213. 

Early  Education  and  Discipline 

His  education,  however,  was  plain  and  practical.  He 
never  attempted  the  learned  languages,  nor  manifested  any 
inclination  for  rhetoric  or  belles-lettres.  His  qbject,  or  the 


48  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

object  of  his  friends,  seems  to  have  been  confined  to  fitting 
him  for  ordinary  business.  His  manuscript  school  books 
still  exist,  and  are  models  of  neatness  and  accuracy.  One 
of  them,  it  is  true,  a  ciphering-book,  preserved  in  the  library 
at  Mount  Vernon,  has  some  school-boy  attempts  at  calli- 
graphy: nondescript  birds,  executed  with  a  flourish  of  the 
pen,  or  profiles  of  faces,  probably  intended  for  those  of  his 
schoolmates;  the  rest  are  all  grave  and  business-like. 
Before  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  he  had  copied  into  a 
volume  forms  for  all  kinds  of  mercantile  and  legal  papers; 
bills  of  exchange,  notes  of  hand,  deeds,  bonds  and  the  like. 
This  early  self-tuition  gave  him  throughout  life  a  lawyer's 
skill  in  drafting  documents,  and  a  merchant's  exactness  in 
keeping  accounts;  so  that  all  the  concerns  of  his  various 
estates,  his  dealings  with  his  domestic  stewards  and  foreign 
agents,  his  accounts  with  government,  and  all  his  financial 
transactions  are  to  this  day  to  be  seen  posted  up  in  books, 
in  his  own  handwriting,  monuments  of  his  method  and 
unwearied  accuracy. 

He  was  a  self-disciplinarian  in  physical  as  well  as 
mental  matters,  and  practised  himself  in  all  kinds  of  athletic 
exercises,  such  as  running, '  leaping,  wrestling,  pitching 
quoits,  and  tossing  bars.  His  frame  even  in  infancy  had 
been  large  and  powerful,  and  he  now  excelled  most  of  his 
playmates  in  contests  of  agility  and  strength.  As  a  proof 
of  his  muscular  power,  a  place  is  still  pointed  out  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  near  the  lower  ferry,  where,  when  a  boy,  he  flung 
a  stone  across  the  Rappahannock.  In  horsemanship,  too, 
he  already  excelled,  and  was  ready  to  back  and  able  to 
manage  the  most  fiery  steed.  Traditional  anecdotes  remain 
of  his  achievements  in  this  respect. 

Above  all,  his  inherent  probity  and  the  principles  of 
justice  on  which  he  regulated  all  his  conduct,  even  at  this 
early  period  of  life,  were  soon  appreciated  by  his  school- 
mates; he  was  referred  to  as  an  umpire  in  their  disputes, 
and  his  decisions  were  never  reversed.  As  he  had  formerly 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  49 

been  military  chieftain,  he  was  now  legislator  of  the  school; 
thus  displaying  in  boyhood  a  type  of  the  future  man. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  51. 

Why  George  Was  Not  Sent  to  School  in  England 

Soon  after  going  to  live  for  a  season  at  Wakefield  with 
Augustine,  I  began  to  take  myself  more  seriously  than  is 
common  in  boys  of  my  age.  I  believe  I  have  all  my  life 
been  regarded  as  grave  and  reserved,  although,  in  fact,  a 
part  of  this  was  due  to  a  certain  shyness,  which  I  never 
entirely  overcame,  and  of  which  I  have  already  written. 
My  new  schoolmaster,  Mr.  Williams,  gave  me  a  book  which 
I  still  have,  and  which  here,  and  later  at  Mount  Vernon, 
was  of  use  to  me.  It  was  called  the  "  Youth's  Companion. " 
It  contained  receipts,  directions  for  conduct  and  manners, 
how  to  write  letters,  and,  what  most  pleased  me,  methods 
of  surveying  land  by  Gunter's  rule,  and  all  manner  of  prob- 
lems in  arithmetic  and  mathematics,  as  well  as  methods  of 
writing  deeds  and  conveyances.  Young  as  I  was,  it  suited 
well  the  practical  side  of  my  nature ;  for  how  to'  do  things, 
and  the  doing  of  them  so  as  to  reach  practical  results,  have 
never  ceased  to  please  me. 

My  mother's  natural  desire  for  my  presence  wore  out 
the  patience  of  Augustine,  and  I  was  at  last,  after  some 
months  (but  I  do  not  remember  exactly  how  long),  sent 
back  to  her  and  to  a  school  kept  by  the  Rev.  James  Marye, 
a  gentleman  of  Huguenot  descent,  at  Fredericksburg,  and 
from  whom  I  might  have  learned  French.  My  father  had 
been  desirous,  I  know  not  why,  that  I  should  learn  this 
language,  but  this  I  never  did,  to  my  regret. 

I  was  at  this  time  about  fourteen,  and  was,  as  I  said, 
a  rather  grave  lad.  I  was  industrious  as  to  what  I  liked, 
but  fond  of  horses  and  the  chase,  and  was  big  of  my  years, 
masterful,  and  of  more  than  common  bodily  strength. 

I  was  not  more  unfortunate  than  most  other  young 
Virginians  in  regard  to  education.  Governor  Spottiswood, 


5o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

as  I  have  heard,  found  no  members  of  the  majority  in  the 
House  who  could  spell  correctly  or  write  so  as  to  clearly 
state  their  grievances.  There  were  persons,  like  the  late 
Colonel  Byrd,  who  were  exceptions,  but  these  were  usually 
such  as  had  been  abroad.  Patrick  Henry,  long  after  this 
time,  observed  to  my  sister  that,  even  if  we  Virginians  .had 
little  education,  Mother  Wit  was  better  than  Mother  Country, 
for  the  gentlemen  who  came  back  brought  home  more  vices 
than  virtues.  In  fact,  this  may  have  been  my  father's 
opinion;  for,  although  he  sent  Lawrence  and  Augustine  to 
the  Appleby  School  in  England,  he  would  not  allow  of  any 
long  residence  in  London,  where,  he  said,  "men's  manners 
are  finished,  but  so,  too,  are  their  virtues." 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  55. 

A  Little  Latin 

After  a  time  he  returned  to  his  mother's  and  attended 
the  school  kept  by  the  Rev.  James  Marye,  in  Fredericksburg. 
It  has  been  universally  asserted  by  his  biographers  that 
he  studied  no  foreign  language,  but  direct  proof  to  the 
contrary  exists  in  a  copy  of  Patrick's  Latin  translation  of 
Homer,  printed  in  1742,  the  fly:leaf  of  a  copy  of  which 
bears,  in  a  school-boy  hand,  the  inscription : 

"Hunc  mihi  quaeso  (bone  Vir)  Libellum 
Redde,  si  forsan  tenues  repertum 
Ut  Scias  qui  sum  sine  fraude  Scriptum. 
.  Est  mihi  nomen, 

GIORGIO  WASHINGTON, 
GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 
Fredericksburg, 

Virginia." 

It  is  thus  evident  that  the  reverend  teacher  gave  Wash- 
ington at  least  the  first  elements  of  Latin,  but  it  is  equally 
clear  that  the  boy,  like  most  others,  forgot  it  with  the 
greatest  facility  as  soon  as  he  ceased  studying. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  51 

The  end  of  Washington's  school-days  left  him,  if  a  good 
"cipherer,"  a  bad  speller,  and  a  still  worse  grammarian, 
but,  fortunately,  the  termination  of  instruction  did  not  by 
any  means  end  his  education.  From  that  time  there  is  to 
be  noted  a  steady  improvement  in  both  these  failings. 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  63. 

"Mute  as  Mice"  before  Mary  Washington 

This  lady  possessed  not  the  ambition  which  is  common 
to  lesser  minds;  and  the  peculiar  plainness,  yet  dignity  of 
her  habits  and  manners,  became  in  nowise  altered,  when 
the  sun  of  glory  rose  upon  her  house,  in  the  character  of  her 
child.  The  late  Lawrence  Washington,  Esq.,  of  Choptank, 
one  of  the  associates  of  the  juvenile  years  of  the  chief,  and 
remembered  by  him  in  his  will,  thus  describes  the  home 
of  the  mother : 

"  I  was  often  there  with  George,  his  playmate,  school- 
mate, and  young  man's  companion.  Of  the  mother  I  was 
ten  times  more  afraid  than  I  ever  was  of  my  own  parents. 
She  awed  me  in  the  midst  of  her  kindness,  for  she  was, 
indeed,  truly  kind.  I  have  often  been  present  with  her 
sons,  proper  tall  fellows  too,  and  we  were  all  as  mute  as 
mice;  and  even  now,  when  time  has  whitened  my  locks, 
and  I  am  the  grandparent  of  a  second  generation,  I  could 
not  behold  that  remarkable  woman  without  feelings  it  is 
impossible  to  describe.  Whoever  has  seen  that  awe- 
inspiring  air  and  manner,  so  characteristic  in  the  Father 
of  his  Country,  will  remember  the  matron  as  she  appeared 
when  the  presiding  genius  of  her  well-ordered  household, 
commanding  and  being  obeyed. " 

Of  the  many  anecdotes  touching  the  early  life  of  the 
chief,  we  shall  present  our  readers  with  one  of  no  ordinary 
interest  and  character. 

The  blooded  horse  was  the  Virginia  favorite  of  those 
days  as  well  as  these.  Washington's  mother,  fond  of  the 
animal  to  which  her  deceased  husband  had  been  particularly 


52  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTOX 

attached,  had  preserved  the  race  in  its  greatest  purity,  and 
at  the  time  of  our  story  possessed  several  young  horses  of 
superior  promise. 

One  there  was,  a  sorrel,  destined  to  be  as  famous  (and 
for  much  better  reason)  as  the  horse  which  the  brutal 
emperor  raised  to  the  dignity  of  consul.  This  sorrel  was 
of  a  fierce  and  ungovernable  nature,  and  resisted  all  attempts 
to  subject  him  to  the  rein.  He  had  reached  his  fullest  size 
and  vigor,  unconscious  of  a  rider ;  he  ranged  free  in  the 
air,  which  he  snuffed  in  triumph,  tossing  his  mane  to  the 
winds,  and  spurning  the  earth  in  pride  of  his  freedom.  It 
was  a  matter  of  common  remark,  that  a  man  would  never 
be  found  hardy  enough  to  back  and  ride  this  vicious  horse. 
Several  had  essayed,  but  deterred  by  the  fury  of  the  animal, 
they  had  desisted  from  their  attempts,  and  the  steed 
remained  unbroken. 

The  young  Washington  proposed  to  his  companions, 
that  if  they  would  assist  him  in  confining  the  steed,  so  that 
a  bridle  could  be  placed  in  his  mouth,  he  would  engage  to 
tame  this  terror  of  the  parish.  Accordingly,  early  the 
ensuing  morning,  the  associates  decoyed  the  horse  into  an 
inclosure,  where  they  secured  him  and  forced  a  bit  into  his 
mouth.  Bold,  vigorous,  and  young,  the  daring  youth 
sprang  to  his  unenvied  seat,  and  bidding  his  comrades 
remove  their  tackle,  the  indignant  courser  rushed  to  the 
plain. 

As  if  disdaining  his  burden,  he  at  first  attempted  to  fly, 
but  soon  felt  the  power  of  an  arm  which  could  have  tamed 
his  Arab  grandsires  in  their  wildest  course  on  their  native 
deserts.  The  struggle  now  became  terrific  to  the  beholders, 
who  almost  wished  they  had  not  joined  in  an  enterprise 
so  likely  to  be  fatal  to  their  daring  associate.  But  the 
youthful  hero,  that  "spirit-protected  man,"  clung  to  the 
furious  steed,  till  centaur-like  he  appeared  to  make  part  of 
the  animal  itself.  Long  was  the  conflict  and  the  fears  of 
his  associates  became  more  relieved  as,  with  matchless 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER 


53 


skill,  the  rider  preserved  his  seat,  and  with  unyielding  force 
controlled  the  courser's  rage,  when  the  gallant  horse, 
summoning  all  his  powers  to  one  mighty  effort,  reared,  and 
plunged  with  tremendous  violence,  burst  his  noble  heart, 
and  died  in  an  instant. 

The  rider,  "alive,  unharmed,  and  without  a  wound," 
was  joined  by  the  youthful  group,  and  all  gazed  upon  the 
generous  steed,  which,  now  prostrate,  "trailed  in  dust  the 
honors  of  his  mane,"  while  from  distended  nostrils  gushed 
in  torrents  the  life-blood  that  a  moment  before  had  swollen 
in  his  veins. 

The  first  surprise  was  scarcely  over,  with  a  what's  to  be 
done?  Who  shall  tell  this  tale?  when  the  party  were  sum- 
moned to  the  morning's  meal.  A  conversation,  the  most 
mat  a  propos  to  the  youthful  culprits,  became  introduced 
by  the  matron's  asking,  "  Pray,  young  gentlemen,  have 
you  "seen  my  blooded  colts  in  your  rambles?  I  hope  they 
are  well  taken  care  of ;  my  favorite,  I  am  told,  is  as  large  as 
his  sire."  Considerable  embarrassment  being  observable, 
the  lady  repeated  her  question,  when  George  Washington 
replied,  "Your  favorite,  the  sorrel,  is  dead,  madam." 
"Dead,"  exclaimed  the  lady;  "why,  how  has  that  hap- 
pened?" Nothing  dismayed,  the  youth  continued,  "That 
sorrel  horse  has  long  been  considered  ungovernable,  and 
beyond  the  power  of  man  to  back  or  ride  him ;  this  morning, 
aided  by  my  friends,  we  forced  a  bit  into  his  mouth;  I 
backed  him,  I  rode  him,  and  in  a  desperate  struggle  for  the 
mastery,  he  fell  under  me  and  died  upon  the  spot."  The 
hectic  of  a  moment  was  observed  to  flush  the  matron's 
cheek,  but  like  a  summer  cloud,  it  soon  passed  away,  and 
all  was  serene  and  tranquil  when  she  remarked:  "  It  is  well; 
but  while  I  regret  the  loss  of  my  favorite,  /  rejoice  in  my  son, 
who  always  speaks  the  truth.  " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
P.  131. 


54  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  Rev.  James  Marye  and  the  "Rules  of  Civility" 

While  gathering  materials  for  a  personal  and  domestic 
biography  of  Washington,  I  discovered  that  in  1 745  he  was 
attending  school  in  Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  The  first 
church  (St.  George's)  of  the  infant  town  was'  just  then 
finished,  and  the  clergyman  was  the  Rev.  James  Marye,  a 
native  of  France.  .  .  It  is  tolerably  certain  that 

Mr.  Marye  founded  the  school  soon  after  his  settlement  there 
as  rector,  which  was  in  1 735,  eight  years  after  the  foundation 
of  Fredericksburg.  ... 

The  various  intrinsic  interest  of  these  Rules  of  Civility 
is  much  enhanced  by  the  curious  story  of  their  migration 
from  an  old  Jesuit  College  in  France  to  the  copy-book  of 
George  Washington.  . 

In  a  letter  to  the  New  York  Nation  (5th  June,  1890)  I 
said:  "Though  my  theory,  that  the  Rev.  James  Marye 
taught  Washington  these  'Rules, '  has  done  good  sendee  in 
leading  to  the  discovery  of  their  origin,  it  cannot  be  verified. 
The  discovery  .  .  '•  .  that  a  Part  Second 
of  Youth's  Behavior  was  published  in  1664,  and  dedicated 
to  two  ladies  of  the  Washington  family  in  England,  lends 
force  to  the  suggestion  that  Washington  might  have  worked 
out  his  Rules  from  the  Hawkins  [English]  version.  "  . 

On  the  whole,  though  it  is  very  uncertain,  the  balance 
of  probabilities  seems  to  favor  the  theory  that  the  Rules  of 
Civility,  found  in  a  copy-book  among  school  exercises, 
exceedingly  abbreviated,  and  marked  by  clerical  errors 
unusual  with  Washington,  were  derived  from  the  oral 
teachings  of  his  preceptor. 

He  returned  to  live  with  his  mother,  near  Fredericks- 
burg, in  1745.  That  he  then  went  to  school  in  Fredericks- 
burg appears,  by  a  manuscript  left  by  Colonel  Byrd  Wills, 
grandson  of  Colonel  Harry  Wills,  founder  of  the  town,  in 
which  he  states  that  his  father,  Lewis  Wills,  was  Washing- 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER 


ton's  schoolmate.     The  teacher's  name  is  not  given,  but  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  James  Marye. 

George  Washington's  Rules  of  Civility,  Moncure  D.  Conway,  pp.  n  to  34. 

"Rules  of  Civility  and  Behaviour" 

(As  written  in  George  Washington's  Copy-book.} 

Every  Action  done  in  Company  ought  to  be  with  Some 
Sign  of  Respect,  to  those  that  are  Present. 

Shew  Nothing  to  your  Friend  that  may  affright  him. 

In  the  Presence  of  Others  sing  not  to  yourself  with  a 
humming  Noise,  nor  Drum,  with  your  Fingers  or  Feet. 

If  you  Cough,  Sneeze,  Sigh,  or  Yawn,  do  it  not  Loud, 
but  Privately ;  and  Speak  not  in  your  Yawning,  but  put  your 
handkerchief  or  Hand  before  your  face  and  turn  aside. 

Sleep  not  when  others  Speak,  Sit  not  when  others  stand, 
Speak  not  when  you  should  hold  your  Peace,  walk  not  when 
others  Stop 

At  Play  and  at  Fire  its  Good  manners  to  give  Place  to 
the  last  Commer,  and  not  affect  to  Speak  Louder  than 
ordenary. 

When  you  Sit  down,  Keep  your  Feet  firm  and  Even, 
without  putting  one  on  the  other  or  Crossing  them 

Shift  not  yourself  in  the  Sight  of  others  nor  Gnaw  your 
nails. 

Turn  not  your  Back  to  others  especially  in  Speaking, 
Jog  not  the  Table  or  Desk  on  which  Another  writes  lean  not 
upon  any  one. 

Keep  your  Nails  clean  and  Short,  also  your  Hands  and 
Teeth  Clean,  yet  without  Shewing  any  great  Concern  for 
them 

Be  no  Flatterer,  neither  Play  with  any  that  delights 
not  to  be  Play'd  Withal. 

Read  no  Letters,  Books,  or  Papers  in  Company  but 
when  there  is  a  Necessity  for  the  doing  of  it  you  must  ask 
leave:  come  not  near  the  Books  or  Writings  of  Another  so 


56  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

as  to  read  them  unless  desired  or  give  your  opinion  of  them 
unask'd  also  look  not  nigh  when  another  is  writing  a 
Letter. 

Let  your  Countenance  be  pleasant  but  in  Serious 
Matters  Somewhat  grave 

The  Gestures  of  the  Body  must  be  Suited  to  the  dis- 
course you  are  upon 

Reproach  none  for  the  Infirmaties  of  Nature,  nor  De- 
light to  Put  them  that  have  in  mind  thereof. 

Shew  not  yourself  glad  at  the  Misfortune  of  another 
tho  he  be  your  enemy 

Superfluous  Complements  and  all  Affectation  of  Cere- 
mony are  to  be  avoided,  yet  where  due  they  are  not  to  be 
Neglected 

If  any  one  come  to  Speak  to  you  while  you  are  Sitting 
Stand  up  tho  he  be  your  Inferiour,  and  when  you  Present 
Seats  let  it  be  to  every  one  according  to  his  Degree. 

Let  your  Discourse  with  Men  of  Business  be  Short  and 
Comprehensive.  .  ,  . 

In  visiting  the  Sick,  do  not  Presently  play  the  Physicion 
if  you  be  not  Knowing  therein 

In  writing  or  Speaking,  give  to  every  Person  his  due 
Title  According  to  his  Degree  &  the  Custom  of  the  Place. 

Strive  not  with  your  Superiers  in  argument,  but  always 
Submit  your  Judgment  to  others  with  Modesty 

Do  not  express  Joy  before  one  sick  or  in  pain  for  that 
contrary  Passion  will  aggravate  his  Misery 

When  a  man  does  all  he  can  though  it  Succeeds  not 
blame  not  him  that  did  it. 

Mock  not  nor  Jest  of  anything  of  Importance  break  no 
Jest  that  are  Sharp  Biting,  and  if  you  Deliver  anything  witty 
and  Pleasent  abstain  from  Laughing  thereat  yourself. 

Wherein  you  reprove  Another  be  unblameable  yourself ; 
for  example  is  more  prevalent  than  Precepts 

Use  no  Reproachfull  Language  against  any  one  neither 
Curse  nor  Revile 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  57 

Be  not  hasty  to  believe  flying  Reports  to  the  Disparage- 
ment of  any 

In  your  Apparel  be  Modest  and  endeavour  to  accomo- 
date  Nature,  rather  than  to  procure  Admiration  keep  to  the 
Fashion  of  your  equals  Such  as  are  Civil  and  orderly  with 
respect  to  Times  and  Places 

Eat  not  in  the  Streets,  nor  in  ye  House,  out  of  Season. 

Associate  yourself  with  Men  of  good  Quality  if  you 
Esteem  your  own  Reputation;  for  'tis  better  to  be  alone 
than  in  bad  Company. 

Be  not  immodest  in  urging  your  Friends  to  Discover  a 
Secret. 

Speak  not  of  doleful  Things  in  a  Time  of  Mirth  or  at  the 
Table;  Speak  not  of  Melancholy  Things  as  Death  and 
Wounds,  and  if  others  Mention  them  Change  if  you  can  the 
Discourse  tell  not  your  Dreams,  but  to  your  intimate  Friend 

Break  not  a  Jest  where  none  take  pleasure  in  mirth 
Laugh  not  aloud,  nor  at  all  without  Occasion,  deride  no 
man's  Misfortune,  tho'  there  seem  to  be  Some  cause 

Speak  not  injurious  Words  neither  in  Jest  nor  Earnest 
Scoff  at  none  although  they  give  Occasion 

Detract  not  from  others  neither  be  excessive  in  Com- 
mending. 

Gaze  not  at  the  marks  or  blemishes  of  Others  and  ask 
not  how  they  came.  What  you  may  Speak  in  Secret  to 
your  Friend  deliver  not  before  others 

Treat  with  men  at  fit  Times  about  Business  &  Whisper 
not  in  the  Company  of  Others 

Be  not  apt  to  relate  News  if  you  know  not  the  truth 
thereof.  In  Discoursing  of  things  you  Have  heard  Name 
not  your  Author  always  A  Secret  Discover  not 

Be  not  Tedious  in  Discourse  or  in  reading  unless  you 
find  the  Company  pleased  therewith 

Be  not  Curious  to  Know  the  Affairs  of  Others  neither 
approach  to  those  that  Speak  in  Private 

Undertake  not  what  you  cannot  Perform  but  be  Care- 
full  to  keep  your  Promise 


58  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Speak  not  Evil  of  the  absent  for  it  is  unjust 

Its  unbecoming  to  Stoop  much  to  one's  Meat  Keep  your 
Fingers  clean  &  when  foul  wipe  them  on  a  Corner  of  your 
Table  Napkin. 

When  you  Speak  of  God  or  his  Attributes,  let  it  be 
Seriously  &  with  Reverence.  Honour  &  obey  your  Natural 
Parents  Altho  they  be  Poor 

Let  your  Recreations  be  Manfull  not  Sinfull. 

Labour  to  keep  alive  in  your  Breast  that  Little  Spark 
of  Celestial  fire  called  Conscience. 

Selected  from  George  Washington's  Rules  of  Civility,  Moncure  D.  Conway,  pp.  55  to 
179- 

Long  Suspense  after  Writing  to  "Uncle  Joseph"  about 
George's  Going  to  Sea 

Then  Mary,  half  frightened  at  having  almost  con- 
sented to  such  a  step  without  consulting  an  older  person, 
wrote  to  her  brother  Joseph,  asking  his  views  on  the  matter. 
Joseph  had  been  Augustine's  friend,  and  ever  the  kindest 
of  brothers  to  herself,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  these  were 
her  only  reasons  for  appealing  to  him.  She  dreaded  the 
moment  of  decision,  whichever  way  it  should  go,  and  she 
could  put  it  off  for  at  least  six  months — the  time  which 
must  elapse  before  she  could  receive  Joseph's  reply. 

Those  six  months  were  terribly  trying  to  both  mother 
and  son.  George  had  never  been  so  kind,  so  dutiful,  so 
considerate  as  now,  although  he  sometimes  thought  he  must 
die  of  the  suspense  he  was  bearing.  To  Mary  he  was 
dearer  every  day,  her  right  hand  and  supporter,  her  com- 
fort and  crown,  as  his  father  had  foretold.  When  her  inmost 
heart  told  her  she  could  never  let  him  go/it  bled  at  the 
pain  she  must  inflict  by  withholding  her  consent ;  when  her 
mood  was  more  self-renouncing,  and  she  felt  that  it  might 
be  her  duty  to  give  him  up,  she  quailed  at  the  loss  which 
she  must  suffer — a  loss  which  seemed  insupportable  in  her 
widowed  life.  No  son  or  daughter  would  ever  take  the 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  59 

place  of  her  eldest-born.  Lawrence,  meanwhile,  was  not 
idle,  and  did  all  that  he  could  to  forward  the  plan.  When 
Mary  told  him  that  she  was  waiting  to  hear  from  George's 
uncle  he  laughed  outright  at  the  thought  that  Mr.  Ball,  in 
distant  London,  could  judge  better  for  the  boy  than  those 
who  were  on  the  spot  and  had  known  him  all  his  life.  He 
was  anxious  to  get  the  matter  arranged  before  the  English 
letter  should  arrive,  having  no  great  opinion  of  the  judg- 
ment of  a  man  who  had  left  an  assured  position  in  Virginia 
to  become  one  of  a  crowd  of  obscure  persons  in  London. 
As  time  went  on  his  nervousness  increased  as  to  what  dire 
effects  the  expected  letter  might  have  greatly  increased, 
and  with  eagerness  only  matched  by  that  of  George  himself, 
pushed  the  preparations  forward.  He  obtained  the  com- 
mission— a  document  beheld  by  George  with  joy  bordering 
on  madness — fitted  out  the  youngster  with  his  first  uniform 
and  in  all  the  other  properties  of  his  state,  properties  so 
incomparably  precious  in  the  lad's  eyes,  and  boldly 
announced  to  Mrs.  Washington  that  George  must  join  his 
ship  at  once. 

Then  she  yielded,  and  went  through  a  day  or  two  of 
anguish  which  brought  the  first  streaks  of  white  into  her 
beautiful  hair;  George  thanked  her  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
and  vowed  she  should  never  regret  her  generosity.  All  his 
confidence  returned,  and  he  told  her  of  his  joy,  of  his  hopes 
of  distinction,  and  they  clung  together  lovingly  and  tear- 
fully, every  barrier  broken  down  between  them,  and  both  so 
happy  in  this  reunion  of  the  heart  that  all  strain  and  dissen- 
sion seemed  forgotten  forever.  Lawrence  hovered  near, 
wildly  anxious  now  to  get  George  away,  telling  himself 
that  at  any  moment  some  interfering  relative  or  the  arrival 
of  Joseph's  letter  already  overdue,  might  disastrously  alter 
the  situation. 

In  ihe  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Fraser,  p.  290. 


60  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


A  Bitter  Disappointment 

Evidently  George  was  the  favorite  in  his  own  family. 
Young  as  he  was  his  mother  relied  upon  him,  and  felt  that 
she  could  not  live  without  her  eldest  son.  His  half-brothers 
were  exceedingly  fond  of  him.  "  Brother,  at  once  and  son, " 
George  was  fourteen  years  younger  than  Lawrence,  the 
eldest  of  all  the  children,  who  naturally  looked  after  the 
lad's  education.  As  Mrs.  Lawrence  Washington  shared 
her  husband's  fondness  for  George,  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  estate  was  now  named  after 
Admiral  Vernon,  commander-in-chief  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  hero  of  Porto  Bello  and  Carthagena  (on  and  near  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama)  under  whom  Lawrence  had  served 
as  captain. 

Of  course,  Lawrence  was  the  boy's  beau  ideal,  whose 
military  experiences  furnished  zest  to  his  school  games,  and 
must  have  given  a  pronounced  bent  to  George  Washington's 
later  life.  Lawrence's  associations  led  him  to  believe  that 
a  naval  career  might  offer  the  most  favorable  future  to  his 
favorite  brother.  George  was  now  fourteen,  an  age  when 
lads  in  all  climes  are  most  attracted  to  "  a  life  on  the  ocean 
wave."  Mary  Washington  was  unable  to  resist  Lawrence's 
urgent  appeals  and  her  own  son's  entreaties.  But  to  gain  a 
little  time,  in  her  despair,  she  wrote  to  ask  the  advice  of  her 
brother,  Joseph  Ball,  a  lawyer  in  London.  The  six  months 
then  required  to  receive  a  reply  from  England,  was  a  time 
of  the  tensest  suspense  for  both  mother  and  son.  Mean- 
while a  warship,  which  seemed  to  George  like  the  one 
golden  opportunity  of  his  life,  waited  at  anchor  in  the 
Potomac,  a  little  below  Mount  Vernon.  No  letter  came 
and,  as  the  man-of-war  was  about  to  weigh  anchor,  Law- 
rence and  George  obtained  the  mother's  agonized  consent 
to  placing  the  boy's  little  sailor  chest  on  board.  When 
George,  radiant  in  his  new  uniform,  was  just  ready  to  ship 
as  a  "middy"  the  long-looked-for  letter  from  Uncle  Joseph 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  61 

arrived,  earnestly  advising  against  a  naval  career,  so  full 
of  hardships  and  humiliations  for  younger  sons  of  families 
without  much  influence.  This,  after  the  strain  and  anguish 
of  months,  was  too  much  for  Mary  Washington's  mother- 
heart.  She  broke  down  utterly,  and  in  tears  and  despera- 
tion, clung  to  George,  imploring  him  not  to  leave  his  widowed 
mother  in  her  grief  and  loneliness. 

•     The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  March  6  to  12,  1910. 

Uncle  Joseph's  Letter 

STRATFORD-BY-BOW,  ipth  of  May,  1747. 

"  I  understand  that  you  are  advised  and  have  some 
thoughts  of  putting  your  son  George  to  sea.  I  think  he 
had  better  be  put  apprentice  to  a  tinker,  for  a  common 
sailor  before  the  mast  has  by  no  means  the  common  liberty 
of  the  subject;  for  they  will  press  him  from  a  ship  where 
he  has  fifty  shillings  a  month  and  make  him  take  twenty- 
three,  and  cut  and  slash  and  use  him  like  a  negro,  or  rather 
like  a  dog.  And,  as  to  any  considerable  preferment  in  the 
navy,  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  as  there  are  always  so  many 
gaping  for  it  here  who  have  interest,  and  he  has  none.  And 
if  he  should  get  to  be  master  of  a  Virginia  ship,  (which  it  is 
very  difficult  to  do)  a  planter  that  has  three  or  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  three  or  four  slaves,  if  he  be  industrious, 
may  live  more  comfortably,  and  leave  his  family  in  better 
bread,  than  such  a  master  of  a  ship  can.  .  .  .  He 
must  not  be  too  hasty  to  be  rich,  but  go  on  gently  and  with 
patience,  as  things  will  naturally  go.  This  method,  without 
aiming  at  being  a  fine  gentleman  before  his  time,  will  carry 
a  man  more  comfortably  and  surely  through  the  world  than 
going  to  sea,  unless  it  be  a  great  chance  indeed. 
"  I  pray  God  keep  you  and  yours. 
"Your  loving  brother, 

"JOSEPH  BALL." 

Old  Families  of  Virginia,  Bishop  Meade,  Vol.  II,  p.  128. 


62  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


How  He  Gave  It  All  up 

"  Will  you  come  to  my  room,  George? " 

"In  a  minute,  mother,"  answered  George,  rising  and 
darting  up-stairs. 

He  would  show  himself  to  her  in  his  uniform.  He  had 
the  natural  pride  in  it  that  might  have  been  expected,  and, 
as  he  slipped  quickly  into  it  and  put  the  dashing  cap  on 
his  fair  hair  and  stuck  his  dirk  into  his  belt,  he  could  not 
help  a  thrill  of  boyish  vanity.  He  went  straight  to  his 
mother's  room,  where  she  stood  awaiting  him. 

The  first  glance  at  her  face  struck  a  chill  to  his  heart. 
There  was  a  look  of  pale  and  quiet  determination  on  it  that 
was  far  from  encouraging.  Nevertheless,  George  spoke 
up  promptly. 

"My  warrant,  mother,  is  up-stairs,  sent  me,  as  my 
brother  wrote  you,  by  Admiral  Vernon.  And  my  brother,  out 
of  his  kindness,  had  all  my  outfit  made  for  me  in  Alexan- 
dria. I  am  to  join  the  Bellona  frigate  within  the  month." 

"Will  you  read  this  letter,  my  son?"  was  Madam 
Washington's  answer,  handing  him  a  letter. 

George  took  it  from  her.  He  recognized  the  hand- 
writing of  his  uncle,  Joseph  Ball,  in  England.  It  ran,  after 
the  beginning:  "  'I  understand  you  are  advised  and  have 
some  thoughts  of  putting  your  son  George  to  sea.'  "'  George 
stopped  in  surprise,  and  looked  at  his  mother. 

"I  suppose,"  she  said,  quietly,  "that  he  has  heard 
that  your  brother  Lawrence  mentioned  to  me  months  ago 
that  you  wished  to  join  the  king's  land  or  sea  service,  but 
my  brother's  words  are  singularly  apt  now. " 

George  continued  to  read. 

"  'I  think  he  had  better  be  put  apprentice  to  a  tinker,  for 
a  common  sailor  before  the  mast  has  by  no  means  the  com- 
mon liberty  of  the  subject,  for  they  will  press  him  from  ship 
to  ship,  where  he  has  fifty  shillings  a  month,  and  make  him 
take  twenty-three,  and  cut  and  slash  and  use  him  like  a  dog.' " 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  63 

George  read  this  with  amazement. 

"  My  uncle  evidently  does  not  understand  that  I  never 
had  any  intention  of  going  to  sea  as  a  common  sailor,"  he 
said,  his  face  flushing,  "  and  I  am  astonished  that  he  should 
think  such  a  thing. " 

"  Read  on,  "  said  his  mother,  quietly. 

"  'And  as  to  any  considerable  preferment  in  the  navy, 
it  is  not  to  be  expected,  as  there  are  so  many  gaping  for  it 
who  have  interest,  and  he  has  none. " 

George  folded  the  letter,  and  handed  it  back  to  his 
mother  respectfully. 

"Forgive  me,  mother,"  said  he,  "but  I  think  my  uncle 
Joseph  a  very  ignorant  man,  and  especially  ignorant  of  my 
prospects  in  life." 

"George!"  cried  his  mother,  reproachfully. 

George  remained  silent.  He  saw  coming  an  impending 
conflict,  the  first  of  their  lives,  between  his  mother  and 
himself. 

"  My  brother, "  said  Madam  Washington,  after  a  pause, 
"is  a  man  of  the  world.  He  knows  much  more  than  I,  a 
woman  who  has  seen  but  little  of  it,  and  much  more  than 
a  youth  like  you,  George. " 

"  He  does  not  know  better  than  my  brother,  who  has 
been  the  best  and  kindest  of  brothers,  who  thought  he  was 
doing  me  the  greatest  service  in  getting  me  this  warrant, 
and  who  at  his  own  expense,  prepared  me  for  it. " 

Both  mother  and  son  spoke  calmly,  and  even  quietly, 
but  two  red  spots  burned  in  Madam  Washington's  face, 
while  George  felt  himself  growing  whiter  every  moment. 

"Your  brother,  doubtless,  meant  kindly  towards  you, 
for  that  I  shall  be  ever  grateful  but  I  never  gave  my  consent 
— I  never  shall  give  it,"  she  said. 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  say  that,  mother,"  answered 
George,  presently — "more  sorry  than  I  know  how  to  say. 
For,  although  you  are  my  dear  and  honored  mother,  you 
cannot  choose  my  life  for  me,  providing  the  life  I  choose  is 


64  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

respectable,  and  I  live  honestly  and  like  a  gentleman,  as  I 
always  shall,  I  hope." 

The  mother  and  son  faced  each  other,  pale  and  deter- 
mined. It  struck  home  to  Madam  Washington  that  now 
she  could  not  clip  her  eaglet's  wings.  She  asked,  in  a  low 
voice : 

"  Do  you  intend  to  disobey  me,  my  son?  " 

"Don't  force  me  to  do  it,  mother!"  cried  George, 
losing  his  calmness,  and  becoming  deeply  agitated.  "I 
think  my  honor  is  engaged  to  my  brother  and  Admiral 
Vernon,  and  I  feel  in  my  heart  that  I  have  a  right  to  choose 
my  own  future  course.  '  I  promise  that  I  will  never  discredit 
you;  but  I  cannot — I  cannot  obey  you  in  this." 

"You  do 'refuse,  then,  my  son?"  said  Madam  Wash- 
ington. She  spoke  in  a  low  voice,  and  her  beautiful  eyes 
looked  straight  into  George's  as  if  challenging  him  to  resist 
their  influence;  but  George,  although  his  own  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  yet  answered  her  gently: 

"Mother,  I  must." 

Madam  Washington  said  no  more,  but  turned  away 
from  him.  The  boy's  heart  and  mind  were  in  a  whirl. 
Some  involuntary  power  seemed  compelling  him  to  act  as 
he  did,  without  any  volition  on  his  part.  Suddenly  his 
mother  turned,  with  tears  streaming  down  her  face  and 
coming  swiftly  towards  him,  clasped  him  in  her  arms. 

"My  son,  my  best-beloved  child!"  she  cried,  weeping. 
"Do  not  break  my  heart  by  leaving  me.  I  did  not  know 
until  this  moment  how  much  I  loved  you.  It  is  hard  for 
a  parent  to  plead  with  a  child,  but  I  beg,  I  implore  you,  if 
you  have  any  regard  for  your  mother's  peace  of  mind,  to 
give  up  the  sea. "  And  with  sobs  and  tears,  such  as  George 
had  never  before  seen  her  shed,  she  clung  to  him  and  cov- 
ered his  face  and  hair,  and  even  his  hands,  with  kisses. 

The  boy  stood  motionless,  stunned  by  an.  outbreak  of 
emotion  so  unlike  anything  he  had  ever  seen  in  his  mother 
before.  Calm,  reticent,  and  undemonstrative,  she  had 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  MOTHER  65 

shown  a  Spartan  firmness  in  her  treatment  of  her  children 
until  this  moment.  In  a  flash  like  lightning  George  saw 
that  it  was  not  that  foolish  letter  which  had  influenced  her, 
but  there  was  a  fierceness  of  mother  love,  all  unsuspected 
in  that  deep  and  quiet  nature,  for  him,  and  for  him  alone. 
This  trembling,  sobbing  woman,  calling  him  all  fond  names, 
and  saying  to  him,  "  George,  I  would  go  upon  my  knees  if 
that  would  move  you, "  his  mother!  And  the  appeal  over- 
powered him  as  much  by  its  novelty  as  its  power.  Like  her 
he  began  to  tremble,  and  when  she  saw  this  she  held  him 
closer  to  her,  and  cried,  "  My  son,  will  you  abandon  me, 
or  will  you  abandon  your  own  will  this  once? " 

There  was  a  short  pause,  and  then  George  spoke,  in  a 
voice  he  scarcely  knew,  it  was  so  strange : 

"  Mother,  I  will  give  up  my  commission.  " 

A  Virginia  Cavalier,  Molly  Elliot  Seawell,  p.  188. 

How  George  "Jolted  It  off" 

Ever  since  I  had  been  at  Mr.  Williams's  school,  I  had 
a  liking  for  the  surveying  of  land,  and  had  later  been  allowed 
to  further  inform  myself  by  attending  upon  Mr.  Genn,  the 
official  survey er  of  Westmoreland,  a  man  very  honest  and 
most  accurate.  Indeed,  I  had  so  well  learned  this  business 
that  I  became,  to  my  great  joy,  of  use  to  Lawrence  and 
some  of  his  neighbors,  especially  to  William  Fairfax,  who 
had  at  first  much  doubt  as  to  how  far  my  skill  might  be 
trusted. 

Meanwhile  various  occupations  for  me  were  considered 
and  discussed  by  my  elders.  The  sea  was  less  favored  in 
Virginia  than  at  the  North ;  but  many  captains  of  merchant 
ships  were  in  those  days,  like  my  father,  of  the  better  class, 
and  my  brothers,  who  saw  in  me  no  great  promise,  believed 
that  if  I  went  to  sea  as  a  sailor  I  might  be  helped  in  time  to 
a  ship,  and  have  my  share  in  the  prosperous  London  trade. 

Like  many  boys,  I  inclined  to  this  life.  I  remind 
myself  of  it  here  because  it  has  been  said  that  I  was  intended 


66  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


at  this  time  to  serve  the  king  as  a  midshipman,  which  was 
never  the  case.  Meanwhile, — for  this  was  an  affair  long 
talked  about, — my  mother's  brother,  Joseph  Ball,  wrote  to 
her  from  London,  May  19,  1747,  that  the  sea  was  a  dog's 
life,  and,  unless  a  lad  had  great  influence,  was  a  poor  affair, 
and  the  navy  no  better.  Upon  this  my  mother  wrote, 

and  at  last  hurried  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  so  pre- 
vailed by  her  tears  that  my  small  chest  was  brought  back 
to  land  from  a  ship  in  the  river. 

My  brother  Lawrence  comforted  me  in  my  disappoint- 
ment, saying  there  were  many  roads  in  life,  and  that  only 
one  had  been  barred.  I  remember  that  I  burst  into  tears, 
when  once  I  was  alone,  and  rushed  off  to  the  stables  and  got 
a  horse,  and  rode  away  at  a  great  pace.  This  has  always 
done  me  good,  and,  somehow,  settled  my  mind ;  for  I  have 
never  felt,  as  I  believe  a  Latin  writer  said,  that  care  sits 
behind  a  horseman.  I  jolted  mine  off,  but  for  days  would 
not  have  any  one  talk  to  me  of  the  matter.  Even  as  a  lad, 
I  had  unwillingness  to  recur  to  a  thing  when  once  it  was 
concluded,  and  that  is  so  to  this  day. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  59. 


CHAPTER  IV 
GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY 

Lord  Fairfax's  Friendship  for  Young  Washington 

George  was  highly  favored  in  having  four  homes  or 
places  where  he  could  "make  himself  at  home" — his 
mother's  house,  of  course;  his  brother  Austin's,  where  the 
young  wife  laughed  at  the  lad  for  imitating  her  husband; 
at  Mount  Vernon,  where  Mrs.  Lawrence  shared  her  husband's 
fondness  for  him,  and  Belvoir,  where  his  eldest  brother's 
wife,  having  been  a  member  of  the  family,  made  the  Fair- 
faxes and  Washingtons  connections  by  marriage.  Mr. 
Fairfax,  (frequently  styled  Sir  William)  besides  his  own 
estate,  controlled  vast  stretches  of  Virginia  country  belong- 
ing to  a  wealthy  cousin,  Lord  Thomas  Fairfax,  who  had 
been  a  leader  in  English  society,  as  the  friend  of  Addison 
and  Steele,  and  had  even  written  for  the  "Spectator." 
But  it  was  related  that  this  nobleman  had  been  betrothed 
to  a  lady  of  beauty  and  rank,  who,  after  all  the  wedding 
preparations  were  made,  jilted  him  for  a  little  higher  title, 
marrying  a  duke  instead. 

Enraged  and  humiliated,  Lord  Fairfax  retired  from 
society  and  sought  the  seclusion  of  his  wild  estates  in 
Virginia,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  long  life  in  bitterness 
against  womankind.  While  at  Belvoir,  he,  like  everyone 
else,  was  favorably  impressed  with  George  Washington. 
The  sincere  friendship  of  the  accomplished  nobleman 
proved  a  lifelong  advantage  to  the  younger  man.  It  was 
through  the  penetration  and  kindness  of  Lord  Fairfax  that 
George  kept  on  with  his  surveying,  though  the  Washington 
family  deemed  it  rather  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  Virginia 
gentleman.  His  lordship,  being  an  able  man  of  affairs,  as 

(67) 


68  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

well  as  a  shrewd  man  of  the  world,  was  disposed  to  advise 
and  warn  his  bashful  young  friend,  with  whose  diffidence 
he  had  the  keenest  sympathy.  Also,  the  influence  of  his 
lordship's  excellent  literary  taste  was  manifested  in  George's 
reading  and  in  the  clear,  direct,  simple  style  of  writing 
which  characterized  the  correspondence  of  both  men 
through  life. 

George  and  his  elderly  companion  used  to  ride  across 
country  and  often  went  fox-hunting  together.  Sometimes 
they  rode  side  by  side  for  hours  without  either  speaking 
a  word.  At  other  times  Lord  Fairfax,  always  taciturn  in 
society,  would  talk  freely  about  Oxford  and  his  varied 
experiences  "at  home"  (in  England).  His  lordship's  chief 
warning,  however,  was  against  women. 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  March    27  to  April  2,1910. 

Fox-hunting  with  Lord  Fairfax 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  soothing  effect  of  the 
female  society  by  which  he  was  surrounded  at  Belvoir, 
the  youth  found  a  more  effectual  remedy  for  his  love  melan- 
choly in  the  company  of  Lord  Fairfax.  His  lordship  was  a 
staunch  fox-hunter,  and  kept  horses  and  hounds  in  the 
English  style.  The  hunting  season  had  arrived.  The 
neighborhood  abounded  with  sport  but  fox-hunting  in 
Virginia  required  bold  and  skillful  horsemanship.  He  found 
Washington  as  bold  as  himself  in  the  saddle,  and  eager  to 
follow  the  hounds.  He  forthwith  took  him  into  peculiar 
favor;  made  him  his  hunting  companion;  and  it  was 
probably  under  the  tuition  of  this  hard-riding  old  nobleman 
that  the  youth  imbibed  that  fondness  for  the  chase  for 
which  he  was  afterwards  remarked. 

Their  fox-hunting  intercourse  was  attended  with  more 
important  results.  His  lordship's  possessions  beyond  the 
Blue  Ridge  had  never  been  regularly  settled  nor  surveyed. 
Lawless  intruders — squatters  as  they  were  called,  were 
planting  themselves  along  the  finest  streams  and  in  the 


x 
o 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  69 

richest  valleys  and  virtually  taking  possession  of  the  country. 
It  was  the  anxious  desire  of  Lord  Fairfax  to  have  these 
lands  examined,  surveyed,  and  proportioned  out  into  lots, 
preparatory  to  ejecting  these  interlopers  or  bringing  them 
to  reasonable  terms.  In  Washington,  notwithstanding 
his  youth,  he  beheld  one  lit  for  the  task — having  noticed 
the  exercises  in  surveying  which  he  kept  up  while  at  Mount 
Vernon,  and  the  aptness  and  exactness  with  which  every 
process  was  executed.  He  was  well  calculated,  too,  by  his 
vigor  and  activity,  his  courage  and  hardihood,  to  cope  with 
the  wild  country  to  be  surveyed,  and  with  its  still  wilder 
inhabitants.  The  proposition  had  only  to  be  offered  to 
Washington  to  be  eagerly  accepted.  It  was  the  very  kind 
of  occupation  for  which  he  had  been  diligently  training 
himself.  -All  the  preparations  required  by  one  of  his  simple 
habits  were  soon  made,  and  in  a  very  few  days  he  was  ready 
for  his  first  expedition  into  the  wilderness. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  63. 

Encouraged  to  Take  up  Surveying 

At  .the  age  of  fifteen,  in  the  fall  of  1747,  I  went  once 
more,  for  a  time  to  reside  with  Lawrence  at  Mount  Vernon, 
where  it  was  to  be  finally  determined  what  I  should  do  for  a 
livelihood.  As  I  look  back  on  this  period  of  my  life,  I 
perceive  that  it  was  the  occasion  of  many  changes.  I  saw 
much  more  of  George  William  Fairfax  and  George  Mason, 
ever  since  my  friends,  and  was  often  with  George's  father, 
the  master  of  Belvoir,  only  four  miles  from  Mount  Vernon. 

There  came  often,  for  long  visits,  William's  cousin, 
Lord  Fairfax,  over  whose  great  estates  in  the  valley  William 
was  the  agent.  I  learned  later  that  when  first  his  Lordship 
saw  me  he  pronounced  me  to  be  a  too  sober  little  prig— 
and  this,  no  doubt,  I  was;  but  after  a  time,  when  he  began 
to  show  such  interest  in  me  as  flattered  my  pride  and 
pleased  my  brother  Lawrence.  At  this  period  Lord  Fair- 
fax was  a  tall  man  and  gaunt,  very  ruddy  and  near-sighted. 


yo  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

It  was  natural  that  as  a  lad  I  should  be  pleased  by  the 
notice  this  gentleman,  the  only  nobleman  I  had  ever  seen, 
began  to  take  of  me.  My  fondness  for  surveying  he  took 
more  seriously  than  did  my  own  people,  and  told  me  once  it 
was  a  noble  business,  because  it  had  to  be  truthful,  and 
because  it  kept  a  man  away  from  men,  and,  especially,  from 
women.  I  did  not  then  understand  what  he  meant,  and 
did  not  think  it  proper  to  inquire. 

I  owed  to  this  gentleman  opportunities  which  led  on 
to  others,  and  to  no  one  else  have  I  been  more  indebted. 
I  trust  and  believe  that  I  let  go  no  chance  in  after  life  to 
serve  this  admirable  family. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  67. 

A  Full-length  Portrait  of  Washington  at  Sixteen 

He  had  just  passed  his  sixteenth  birthday.  He  was 
tall  and  muscular,  approaching  the  stature  of  more  than  six 
feet  which  he  afterwards  attained.  He  was  not  yet  filled 
out  to  manly  proportions,  but  was  rather  spare,  after  the 
fashion  of  youth.  He  had  a  well-shaped,  active  figure, 
symmetrical  except  for  the  unusual  length  of  the  arms, 
indicating  uncommon  strength.  His  light  brown  hair  was 
drawn  back  from  a  broad  forehead,  and  grayish-blue  eyes 
looked  happily,  and  perhaps  a  trifle  soberly,  on  the  pleasant 
Virginia  world  about  him.  The  face  was  open  and  manly, 
with  a  square,  massive  jaw,  and  a  general  expression  of 
calmness  and  strength.  "Fair  and  florid,"  big  and  strong, 
he  was,  take  him  for  all  in  all,  as  fine  a  specimen  of  his  race 
as  could  be  found  in  the  English  colonies. 

Let  us  look  a  little  closer  through  the  keen  eyes  of  one 
who  studied  many  faces  to  good  purpose.  The  great  painter 
of  portraits,  Gilbert  Stuart,  tells  us  of  Washington  that  he 
never  saw  in  any  man  such  large  eye-sockets,  or  such  breadth 
of  nose  and  forehead  between  the  eyes,  and  that  he  read 
there  the  evidence  of  the  strongest  passions  possible  to 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  71 

human  nature.  John  Bernard,  the  actor,  a  good  observer, 
too,  saw  in  Washington's  face  in  1797,  the  signs  of  an 
habitual  conflict  and  mastery  of  passions,  witnessed  by  the 
compressed  mouth  and  deeply  indented  brow.  The  problem 
had  been  solved  then;  but  in  1748,  passion  and  will  alike 
slumbered,  and  no  man  could  tell  which  would  prevail  or 
whether  they  would  work  together  to  great  purpose  or  go 
jarring  on  to  nothingness.  He  rises  up  to  us  out  of  the  past 
in  that  early  springtime  a  fine,  handsome,  athletic  boy, 
beloved  by  those  about  him,  who  found  him  a  charming 
companion  and  did  not  guess  that  he  might  be  a  terribly 
dangerous  foe.  He  rises  up  instinct  with  life  and  strength, 
a  being  capable,  as  we  know,  of  great  things  whether  for 
good  or  evil,  with  hot  blood  pulsing  in  his  veins  and  beating 
in  his  heart,  with  violent  passions  and  relentless  will  still 
undeveloped,  and  no  one  in  all  that  jolly,  generous  Virginian 
society  even  dimly  dreamed  what  that  development  would 
be,  or  what  it  would  mean  to  the  world. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  55. 

Two  Georges  Go  Surveying 

We  set  out  on  March  u,  1748,  George  William  Fairfax 
and  I,  with  two  servants  and  a  led  horse,  loaded  with  a  pack 
and  such  baggage  as  could  not  be  carried  in  saddle-bags. 
I  was  at  this  time  ill,  not  having  recovered  from  an  attack 
of  the  ague;  but  the  action  of  the  horse  and  the  feeling  of 
adventure  helped  me,  so  that  in  a  day  or  two  I  left  off  taking 
of  Jesuits'  bark,  and  was  none  the  worse.  :.  .  . 

As  we  were  soon  joined  by  my  old  master  in  surveying, 
James  Genn,  I  learned  a  great  deal  more  of  his  useful  art, 
kand  usually  earned  a  doubloon  a  day,  but  sometimes  six 
pistoles.  Although  the  idea  of  daily  wages  was  unpleasant 
to  Virginians  of  my  class,  I  remember  that  it  made  me  feel 
independent,  and  set  a  sort  of  value  upon  me  which  reason- 
ably fed  my  esteem  of  myself,  which  was,  I  do  believe,  never 
too  great. 


72  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Our  journey  was  without  risks,  except  the  rattlesnakes, 
and  the  many  smaller  vermin  which  inhabited  the  blankets 
in  the  cabins  of  the  squatters. 

I  remember  with  pleasure  the  evening  when  I  first  saw 
the  great  fertile  valley  after  we  came  through  Ashby's  Gap 
in  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  snows  were  still  melting  and  the 
roads  the  worst  that  could  ever  be  seen,  even  in  Virginia. 
The  greatness  of  the  trees  I  remember,  and  my  surprise 
that  the  Indians  should  have  so  much  good  invention  in 
their  names,  as  when  they  called  the  river  of  the  valley  the 
Shen-an-do-ah — that  is,  the  Daughter  of  the  Stars;  but 
why  so  named  I  never  knew. 

In  this  great  vale  were  the  best  of  Lord  Fairfax's  lands. 
Near  to  where  this  stream  joins  the  Potomac  were  many 
clearings,  of  which  we  had  to  make  surveys  and  insist  on 
his  lordship's  ownership.  Here  were  no  hardships,  and 
much  pleasure  in  the  pursuit  of  game,  especially  wild  turkeys. 
I  learned  to  cook,  and  how  to  make  a  bivouac  comfortable, 
and  many  things  which  are  part  of  the  education  of  the 
woods.  Only  four  nights  did  I  sleep  in  a  bed,  and  then 
had  more  small  company  than  I  liked  to  entertain. 

After  one  night  in  a  Dutch  cabin  I  liked  better  a  bear- 
skin and  the  open  air,  for  it  was  not  to  my  taste  to  lie  down 
on  a  straw — very  populous — or  on  a  skin,  with  a  man,  wife, 
and  squalling  babies,  like  dogs  and  cats,  and  to  cast  lots 
who  should  be  nearest  the  fire. 

I  did  not  like  these  people,  and  the  Indians  interested 
me  more.  Genn  understood  their  tongue  well  enough  to 
talk  with  them,  and  the  way  they  had  of  sign-language 
pleased  Lord  Fairfax,  because,  he  said,  you  could  not  talk 
too  much  in  signs  or  easily  abuse  your  neighbor ;  but  I  found 
they  had  a  sign  for  cutting  a  man's  throat,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  was  quite  enough,  and  worse  than  abuse.  Mr. 
Genn  warned  me  that  one  of  their  great  jokes  was,  when 
shaking  hand",  with  white  men,  to  squeeze  so  as  to  give 
pain.  Being  warned,  I  gave  the  chief  who  was  called  Big 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  73 


Bear  such  a  grip  that,  in  his  surprise,  he  cried  out,  and  thus 
amused  the  other  warriors. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  oj  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  90. 


He  Went  in  a  Schoolboy  and  Came  out  the  First  Soldier 
in  the  Colonies 

Lord  Fairfax  and  Washington  became  fast  friends. 
They  hunted  the  fox  together,  and  hunted  him  hard.  They 
engaged  in  all  the  rough  sports  and  perilous  excitements  that 
Virginia  winter  life  could  afford,  and  the  boy's  bold  and 
skilful  riding,  his  love  of  sports  and  his  fine  temper,  com- 
mended him  to  the  warm  and  affectionate  interest  of  the  old 
nobleman.  Other  qualities,  too,  the  experienced  man  of  the 
world  saw  in  his  young  companion:  a  high  and  persistent 
courage,  robust  and  calm  sense,  and  above  all,  unusual  force 
of  will  and  character.  Washington  impressed  profoundly 
everybody  with  whom  he  was  brought  into  personal  contact, 
a  fact  which  is  one  of  the  most  marked  features  of  his  char- 
acter and  career,  and  one  which  deserves  study  more  than 
almost  any  other.  Lord  Fairfax  was  no  exception  to  the 
rule.  He  saw  in  Washington  not  simply  a  promising,  brave, 
open-hearted  boy,  diligent  in  practising  his  profession^  and 
whom  he  was  anxious  to  help,  but  something  more ;  some- 
thing which  so  impressed  him  that  he  confided  to  this  lad  a 
task  which,  according  to  its  performance,  would  affect  both 
his  fortune  and  his  peace.  In  a  word,  he  trusted  Washington 
and  told  him,  as  the  spring  of  1748  was  opening,  to  go  forth 
and  survey  the  vast  Fairfax  estates  beyond  the  Ridge, 
define  their  boundaries,  and  save  them  from  future  litiga- 
tion. With  this  commission  from  Lord  Fairfax,  Washington 
entered  on  the  first  period  of  his  career.  He  passed  it  on  the 
frontier,  fighting  nature,  the  Indians,  and  the  French.  He 
went  in  a  schoolboy;  he  came  out  the  first  soldier  in  the 
colonies,  and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Virginia. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  52. 


54  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


From  Washington's  First  Journal 

Fryday  March  nth  1747-8.  Began  my  Journey  in 
Company  with  George  Fairfax,  Esqr. ;  we  travell'd  this 
day  40  Miles  to  Mr.  George  Neavels  in  Prince  William 
County. 

Saturday  March  iath  this  Morning  Mr.  James  Genn  ye 
surveyor  came  to  us,  we  travel'd  over  ye  Blue  Ridge  to  Cap* 
Ashbys  on  Shannondoah  River,  Nothing  remarkable  hap- 
pen'd. 

Sunday  March  13  Rode  to  his  Lordship's  Quarter  about 
4  Miles  higher  up  y6  River  we  went  through  most  beautiful 
Groves  of  Sugar  Trees  &  spent  y6  best  part  of  ye  Day  in 
admiring  y6  Trees  &  richness  of  y*  Land. 

Monday  i4th  We  sent  our  Baggage  to  Cap*  Kites  (near 
Frederick  Town)  went  ourselves  down  y6  River  about  16 
Miles  to  Cap*  Isaac  Penningtons  (the  Land  exceeding  Rich 
&  Fertile  all  y6  way  produces  abundance  of  Grain  Hemp 
Tobacco  &c)  in  order  to  Lay  of  some  Lands  on  Gates  Marsh 
&  Long  Marsh. 

Tuesday  i$th  We  set  out  early  with  Intent  to  Run 
round  y6  sd  Land  but  being  taken  in  a  Rain  &  it  Increasing 
very  fast  obliged  us  to  return,  it  clearing  about  one  oClock 
&  our  time  being  too  Precious  to  Loose  we  a  second  time 
ventured  out  &  Worked  hard  till  Night  &  then  returned  to 
Penningtons  we  got  our  Suppers  &  was  Lighted  into  a  Room 
&  I  not  being  so  good  a  Woodsman  as  y6  rest  of  my  Company 
striped  myself  very  orderly  &  went  in  to  y6  Bed  as  they 
called  it  when  to  my  surprize  I  found  it  to  be  nothing  but  a 
Little  Straw — matted  together  without  Sheets  or  any  thing 
else  but  one  thread  Bear  blanket  with  double  its  weight  of 
Vermin  such  as  Lice  Fleas  &c.  I  was  glad  to  get  up  (as  soon 
as  ye  Light  was  carried  from  us)  I  put  on  my  Cloths  and  Lays 
as  my  Companions.  Had  we  not  been  very  tired  I  am  sure 
we  should  not  have  slept  much  that  night  I  made  a 
Promise  not  to  Sleep  so  from  that  time  forward  chusing 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  75 


rather  to  sleep  in  y*  open  Air  before  a  fire  as  will  appear 
hereafter. 


Wednesday  i6th  We  set  out  early  &  finished  about  one 
oClock  &  then  Travell'd  up  to  Frederick  Town  where  our 
Baggage  came  to  us  we  cleaned  ourselves  (to  get  Rid  of  y6 
Game  we  had  catched  y6  Night  before)  &  took  a  Review  of 
y6  Town  &  thence  returned  to  our  Lodgings  where  we  had  a 
good  Dinner  prepar'd  for  us  Wine  &  Rum  Punch  in  Plenty 
&  a  good  Feather  Bed  with  clean  Sheets  which  was  a  very 
agreeable  regale. 

Sonday  20  finding  y6  River  not  much  abated  we  in  y6 
Evening  Swam  our  horses  over  &  carried  them  to  Charles 
Polks  in  Maryland  for  Pasturage  till  y6  next  Morning. 

Monday  2ist  We  went  over  in  a  Canoe  &  Travell'd  nip 
Maryland  side  all  y6  Day  in  a  Continued  Rain  to  Coll0  Cresaps 
right  against  y6  Mouth  of  y®  South  Branch  about  40  Miles 
from  Polks  I  believe  y6  worst  Road  that  ever  was  trod  by 
Man  or  Beast. 

Tuesday  22d  Continued  Rain  and  y6  Freshes  kept  us  at 
Cresaps. 

Wednesday  23d  Rain'd  till  about  two  oClock  &  Clear 'd 
when  we  were  agreeably  surpris'd  at  y6  sight  of  thirty  odd 
Indians  coming  from  War  with  only  one  Scalp.  We  had 
some  Liquor  with  us  of  which  we  gave  them  Part  it  elevating 
their  Spirits  put  them  in  y6  Humour  of  Dauncing  of  whom  we 
had  a  War  Daunce  there  manner  of  Dauncing  is  as  follows 
Viz  They  Clear  a  Large  Circle  &  make  a  Great  Fire  in  y6 
middle  then  seats  themselves  around  it  y6  Speaker  makes 
grand  Speech  telling  them  in  what  Manner  they  are  to 
Daunce  after  he  has  finish'd  y6  best  Dauncer  Jumps  about  y* 
Ring  in  a  most  cornicle  Manner  he  is  followed  by  ye  Rest  then 
begins  there  Musicians  to  Play  y6  iVfusick  is  a  Pot  half  of 
Water  with  Deerskin  Streched  over  it  as  figlit  as  it  can  &  a 

1-7 


76  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

goard  with  some  Shott  in  it  to  Rattle  &  a  Piece  of  an  horses 
Tail  to  it  to  make  it  look  fine  y6  one  keeps  Rattling  and  ye 
other  Drumming  all  ye  while  y6  others  is  Daunting 
Journal  of  My  Journey  Over  the  Mountains,  by  George  Wash- 
ington while  Surveying  for  Lord  Thomas  Fairfax,  Baron  of 
Cameron,  in  the  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia,  Beyond  the  Blue 
Ridge. 

Copied  from  the  Original  with  Literal  Exactness,  and  Edited  with  Notes  by  J.  M. 
Toner,  M.D.,  pp.  15  to  33. 

How  Lord  Fairfax  Read  Washington's  First  Journal 

It  was  a  winter  night.  Lord  Fairfax  had  gathered 
about  him  a  merry  company,  Washington  was  there,  but 
grave  and  reserved  in  contrast  with  the  others.  Mr.  Gist, 
the  explorer,  was  present,  and  with  him  had  come  young 
Owler,  an  Indian  runner,  to  hear  the  violins.  A  number 
of  young  hunters  and  trappers  and  fur-traders  had  stopped 
at  the  Court  for  the  night  to  share  the  bountiful  baron's 
hospitality. 

The  stories  of  the  surveys  of  his  immense  estates  were 
Lord  Fairfax's  delight.  Washington  kept  journals  of  his 
surveys,  and  Mr.  Gist  was  a  natural  story-teller. 

Lord  Fairfax  spread  the  journal  of  young  Washington 
and  its  records  of  surveys  out  on  the  great  oak  table.  He 
began  to  read  the  diary.  The  men  listened  eagerly,  ready 
to  applaud  any  incident  of  the  narrative  which  should  excite 
their  interest.  .  .  ."• 

[After  his  lordship  had  read  the  diary  through,  he 
said :] 

"  Washington  is  a  brave  boy,  it  is  hardship  that  makes 
men.  A  man's  power  in  life  is  in  proportion  to  the  resistance 
he  meets  when  he  is  young.  George  will  become  a  strong 
man  one  day." 

The  journal  gives  a  correct  view  of  the  manner  that  the 
young  surveyor  passed  a  period  of  his  early  days.  He  was 
then  scarcely  more  than  a  boy. 

The  Boys  of  Greenway  Court,  Hezekiah  Butterworth,  pp.  77  to  88. 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  77 

Conflicting  Claims  to  the  Ohio  Country 

While  George  was  acting  as  county  surveyor,  and 
for  several  years  afterward,  the  trouble  between  the 
English  and  French  for  the  settlement  of  the  country  along 
the  Ohio  river  was  rapidly  approaching  a  crisis.  The 
French  claimed  all  the  territory  watered  by  the  tributaries 
of  the  Mississippi  river  by  right  of  the  discoveries  of  Joliet 
and  Pere  Marquette  of  the  Mississippi  in  the  north,  and  their 
settlement  of  Louisiana  in  the  south. 

The  English  based  their  claim  on  a  supposed  purchase 
of  all  the  territory  west  of  the  mountains  and  north  of  the 
Ohio  from  the  Five  Nations  of  Indians  in  council.  But 
"  possession  is  eleven  points  in  the  law, "  and  the  French  were 
not  only  coming  down  from  Canada  and  making  settlements 
in  the  disputed  territory,  but  also  making  friends  with  the 
Indians.  This  they  were  able  to  do  because  of  the  work  of 
French  Catholic  missionaries  and  of  the  fact  that  many  of 
the  French  pioneers  had  intermarried  with  and  lived  among 
the  red  men. 

Virginia  was  especially  interested  in  this  dispute,  as  a 
sort  of  syndicate  of  gentlemen  had  formed  what  was  known 
as  the  Ohio  Company,  whose  business  was  to  traffic  with  the 
natives  and  settle  the  country. 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  May  8  to  14,  1910. 

Labored  Love  Lines 

Who  [the]  "  Low  Land  Beauty"  was  has  been  the  source 
of  much  speculation,  but  the  question  is  still  unsolved,  every 
suggested  damsel — Lucy  Grymes,  Mary  Bland,  Betsy  Faunt- 
leroy,  et  al. — being  either  impossible  or  the  evidence  wholly 
inadequate.  But  in  the  same  journal  which  contains  the 
draughts  of  these  letters  is  a  motto  poem — 

"Twas  Perfect  Love  before 
But  Now  I  do  adore" — 

followed  by  the  words  "  Young  M.  A.  his  W  [ife?], "  and  as  it 


78  THE  STORY^LIFE  OF  WASHINGTOX 

was  a  fashion  of  the  time  to  couple  the  initials  of  one's  well- 
beloved  with  such  sentiments,  a  slight  clue  is  possibly  fur- 
nished. Nor  was  this  the  only  rhyme  that  his  emotions  led 
to  his  inscribing  in  his  journal:  and  he  confided  to  it  the 
following : 

"  Oh  Ye  Gods  why  should  my  Poor  Resistless  Heart 

Stand  to  oppose  thy  might  and  Power 
:At  Last  surrender  to.cupid's  feather'd  Dart 

And  now  lays  Bleeding  every  Hour 
For  her  that's  Pjtyless  of  my  grief  and  Woes 

And  will  not  on  me  Pity  take 
He  sleep  amongst  my  most  inveterate  Foes 

And  with  gladness  never  wish  to  Wake 
In  deluding  sleepings  let  my  eyelids  close 

That  in  an  enraptured  Dream  I  may 
In  a  soft  lulling  sleep  and  gentle  repose 

Possess  those  joys  denied  by  Day." 

However  woe-begone  the  young  lover  was,  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  wholly  lost  to  others  of  the  sex?  and  at 
this  time  he  was  able  to  indite  an  acrostic  to  another  charmer, 
which,  if  incomplete,  nevertheless  proves  that  there  was  a 
"midland"  beauty  as  well,  the  lady  being  presumptively 
some  member  of  the  family  of  Alexanders,  who  had  a  planta- 
tion near  Mount  Vernon. 

"From  your  bright  sparkling  Eyes  I  was  undone; 
Rays,  you  have ;  more  transperent  than  the  Sun, 
Amidst  its  glory  in  the  rising  Day 
None  can  you  equal  in  your  bright  array; 
Constant  in  your  calm  and  unspotted  Mind; 
Equal  to  all,. but  will  to  none  Prove  kind, 
So  knowing,  seldom  one  so  young,  you'l  Find. 

Ah!  woe's  me,  that  I  should  Love  and  conceal 
Long  have  I  wish'd,  but  never  dare  reveal, 
Even  though  severely  Loves  Pains  I  feel; 
Xerxes  that  great,  was't  free  from  Cupids  Dart, 
And  all  the  greatest  Heroes,  felt  the  smart." 
The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  86. 


GEORGE  AND  THE  FAIRFAX  FAMILY  79 


"I  Used  Often  to  Wish  He  Would  Talk  More" 

In  his  earliest  days,  there  was  perseverance  and  com- 
pleteness in  all  his  undertakings.  Nothing  was  left  half 
done,  or  done  in  a  hurried  and  slovenly  manner.  The  habit 
of  mind  thus  cultivated  continued  throughout  life ;  so  that 
however  complicated  his  tasks  and  overwhelming  his  cares, 
in  the  arduous  and  hazardous  situations  in  which  he  was  often 
placed,  he  found  time  to  do  everything,  and  to  do  it  well. 
He  had  acquired  the  'magic  of  method,  which  of  itself  works 
wonders. 

In  one  of  these  manuscript  memorials  of  his  practical 
studies  and  exercises,  we  have  come  upon  some  documents 
singularly  in  contrast  with  all  that  we  have  just  cited,  and 
with  his  apparently  unromantic  character.  In  a  word, 
there  are  evidences  in  his  own  handwriting,  that,  before 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  had  conceived  a  passion  for 
some  unknown  beauty,  so  serious  as  to  disturb  his  otherwise 
well-regulated  mind,  and  to  make  him  really  unhappy.  Why 
this  juvenile  attachment  was  a  source  of  unhappiness  we  have 
no  positive  means  of  ascertaining.  Perhaps  the  object  of  it 
may  have  considered  him  a  mere  schoolboy,  and  treated  him 
as  such,  or  his  own  shyness  may  have  been  in  his  way,  and 
his  "rules  for  behavior  and  conversation"  may  as  yet  have 
sat  awkwardly  on  him,  and  rendered  him  formal  and  ungainly 
when  he  most  sought  to  please.  Even  in  later  years  he  was 
apt  to  be  silent  and  embarrassed  in  female  society.  "  He 
was  a  very  bashful  young  man, "  said  an  old  lady,  whom  he 
used  to  visit  when  they  were  both  in  their  nonage,  "  I  used 
often  to  wish  that  he  would  talk  more. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  57- 

County  Surveyor  at  Seventeen 

About  this  time  the  influence  of  Lord  Fairfax  and  my 
brothers  obtained  for  me  the  place  of  surveyor  of  the  county 
of  Culpeper.  I  saw,  a  few  years  ago,  in  the  records  of  Cul~ 


8o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


peper  Court  House,  under  date  of  July  20,  1749,  that  George 
Washington,  gentleman,  produced  a  commission  from  the 
president  and  masters  of  William  and  Mary  College  appoint- 
ing him  to  be  a  surveyor  of  the  county,  whereupon  he  took 
the  oath  to  his  Majesty's  person  and  government  and  sub- 
scribed the  abjuration  oath,  the  test,  etc. 

I  recall  now  the  pleasure  this  formal  appointment  gave 
me.  Although  I  was  then  but  seventeen  years  old,  I  was 
much  trusted  and  was  soon  busily  employed,  because  of  my 
exactness,  and  because  it  was  known  that  I  could  not  be 
bribed;  and  thus  for  over  two  years  I  pursued  this  occupa- 
tion. His  Lordship  had  long  since  left  his  cousin's  house  of 
Belvoir  and  gone  to  live  in  the  valley,  in  his  steward's  house, 
which  he  now  bettered  and  enlarged  for  his  own  use,  mean- 
ing soon  to  build  a  great  mansion-house,  which  he  never  did. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.  96. 


CHAPTER  V 
GEORGE  AND  His  BROTHER  LAWRENCE 


Mr.  Thomas  Lee,  president  of  the  council  of  Virginia, 
took  the  lead  in  the  concerns  of  the  [Ohio]  company  at  the 
outset,  and  by  many  has  been  considered  its  founder.  On 
his  death,  which  soon  took  place,  Lawrence  Washington  had 
the  chief  management.  His  enlightened  mind  and  liberal 
spirit  shone  forth  in  his  earliest  arrangements.  He  wished  to 
form  the  settlements  with  Germans  from  Pennsylvania. 
Being  dissenters,  however,  they  would  be  obliged,  on  becom- 
ing residents  within  the  jurisdiction,  of  Virginia,  to  pay 
parish  rates,  and  maintain  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England,  though  they  might  not  understand  his  language 
nor  relish  his  doctrines.  Lawrence  sought  to  have  them 
exempted  from  this  double  tax  on  purse  and  conscience. 

"  It  has  ever  been  my  opinion, "  said  he,  "  and  I  hope  it 
ever  will  be,  that  restraints  on  conscience  are  cruel  in  regard 
to  those  on  whom  they  are  imposed,  and  injurious  to  the 
country  imposing  them.  England,  Holland,  and  Prussia 
I  may  quote  as  examples,  and  much  more  Pennsylvania, 
which  has  nourished  under  that  delightful  liberty,  so  as  to 
become  the  admiration  of  every  man  who  considers  the  short 
time  it  has  been  settled.  .  .  .  This  colony  [Virginia] 
was  settled  in  the  latter  part  of  Charles  the  First's  time,  and 
during  the  usurpation,  by  the  zealous  churchmen ;  and  that 
spirit,  which  was  then  brought  in,  has  ever  since  continued ; 
so  that,  except  a  few  Quakers,  we  have  no  dissenters.  But 
what  has  been  the  consequence  ?  We  have  increased  by  slow 
degrees,  whilst  our  neighboring  colonies,  whose  natural  ad- 
vantages are  greatly  inferior  to  ours,  have  become  populous." 

(8 1) 


82  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Such  were  the  enlightened  views  of  this  brother  of  our 
Washington,  to  whom  the  latter  owed  much  of  his  moral 
and  mental  training.  The  company  proceeded  to  make 
preparations  for  their  colonizing  scheme.  Goods  were 
imported  from  England  suited  to  the  Indian  trade,  or  for 
presents  to  the  chiefs.  Rewards  were  promised  to  veteran 
warriors  and  hunters  among  the  natives  acquainted  with 
the  woods  and  mountains,  for  the  best  route  to  the  Ohio. 
Before  the  company  had  received  its  charter,  however,  the 
French  were  in  the  field.  Early  in  1749,  the  Marquis  de  la 
Galisonniere,  Governor  of  Canada,  despatched  Celeron  de 
Bienville,  an  intelligent  officer,  at  the  head  of  three  hundred 
men,  to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  to  make  peace,  as  he  said, 
between  the  tribes  that  had  become  embroiled  with  each 
other  during  the  late  war,  and  to  renew  the  French  posses- 
sions of  the  country. 

Celeron  de  Bienville  distributed  presents  among  the 
Indians,  made  speeches  reminding  them  of  former  friend- 
ship, and  warned  them  not  to  trade  with  the  English.  He 
furthermore  nailed  leaden  plates  to  trees,  and  buried  others 
in  the  earth,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  arid  its  tributaries, 
bearing  inscriptions  purporting  that  all  the  lands  on  both 
sides  of  the  rivers  to  their  sources  appertained,  as  in  foregone 
times,  to  the  crown  of  France.  The  Indians  gazed  at  these 
mysterious  plates  with  wondering  eyes,  but  surmised  their 
purport.  "They  mean  to  steal  our  country  from  *  us, " 
murmured  they;  and  they  determined  to  seek  protection 
from  the  English. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  78. 

The  Ohio  Company  Sends  Christopher  Gist 

It  was  some  time  later  in  the  same  autumn  that  the 
Ohio  Company  brought  their  plans  into  operation,  and 
despatched  an  agent  to  explore  the  lands  upon  the  Ohio  and 
its  branches  as  low  as  the  Great  Falls,  take  note  of  their 
fitness  for  cultivation,  of  the  passes  of  the  mountains,  the 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         83 

courses  and  bearings  of  the  rivers,  and  the  strength  and 
disposition  of  the  native  tribes.  The  man  chosen  for  the 
purpose  was  Christopher  Gist,  a  hardy  pioneer,  experienced 
in  woodcraft  and  Indian  life,  who  had  his  home  on  the  banks 
of  the  Yadkin,  near  the  boundary  line  of  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  He  was  allowed  a  woodsman  or  two  for  the  ser- 
vice of  the  expedition.  He  set  out  on  the  3ist  of  October, 
from  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  by  an  Indian  path  which  the 
hunters  had  pointed  out,  leading  from  Wills'  Creek,  since 
called  Fort  Cumberland,  to  the  Ohio.  Indian  paths  and 
Buffalo  tracks  are  the  primitive  highways  of  the  wilderness. 
Passing  the  Juniata,  he  crossed  the  ridges  of  the  Alleghany, 
arrived  at  Shannopin,  a  Delaware  village  on  the  south-east 
side  of  the  Ohio,  or  rather  of  that  upper  branch  of  it,  now 
called  the  Allegheny,  swam  his  horses  across  that  river,  and 
descending  along  its  valley  arrived  at  Logstown,  an  impor- 
tant Indian  village  a  little  below  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Pittsburg.  Here  usually  resided  Tanacharisson,  a  Seneca 
chief  of  great  note,  being  head  sachem  of  the  mixed  tribes 
which  had  migrated  to  the  Ohio  and  its  branches.  He  was 
usually  surnamed  the  Half-King,  being  subordinate  to  the 
Iroquois  confederacy.  The  chief  was  absent  at  this  time, 
as  were  most  of  his  people,  it  being  the  hunting  season. 
George  Croghan,  the  envoy  from  Pennsylvania,  with  Mon- 
tour  his  interpreter,  had  passed  through  Logstown  a  week 
previously,  on  his  way  to  the  Twightwees  and  other  tribes, 
on  the  Miami  branch  of  the  Ohio.  Scarce  any  one  was  to  be 
seen  about  the  village  except  some  of  Croghan 's  rough 
people,  whom  he  had  left  behind — "reprobate  Indian 
traders,'-'  Gist  terms  them.  They  regarded  the  latter  with 
a  jealous  eye,  suspecting  him  of  some  nvalship  in  trade,  or 
designs  on  the  Indian  lands;  and  intimated  significantly 
that  "he  would  never  go  home  safe." 

Gist  knew  the  meaning  of  such  hints  from  men  of  this 
stamp  in  the  lawless  depths  of  the  wilderness;  but  quieted 
their  suspicions  by  letting  them  know  that  he  was  on  public 
business,  and  on  good  terms  with  their  great  man,  George 


84  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Croghan,  to  whom  he  despatched  a  letter.  He  took  his 
departure  from  Logstown,  however,  as  soon  as  possible, 
preferring,  as  he  said,  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness  to 
such  company. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  81. 

"A  Most  Delightful  Country" 

At  Beaver  Creek,  a  few  miles  below  the  village,  he 
[Gist]  left  the  river  and  struck  into  the  interior  of  the  present 
State  of  Ohio.  Here  he  overtook  George  Croghan  at  Musk- 
ingum,  a  town  of  Wyandots  and  Mingoes.  He  had  ordered 
all  the  traders  in  his  employ  who  were  scattered  among  the 
Indian  villages,  to  rally  at  this  town,  where  he  had  hoisted 
the  English  flag  over  his  residence,  and  over  that  of  the 
sachem.  This  was  in  consequence  of  the  hostility  of  the 
French  who  had  recently  captured,  in  the  neighborhood, 
three  white  men  in  the  employ  of  Frazier,  an  Indian  trader, 
and  had  carried  them  away  prisoners  to  Canada. 

Gist  was  well  received  by  the  people  of  Muskingum. 
They  were  indignant  at  the  French  violation  of  their  terri- 
tories, and  the  capture  of  their  "  English  brothers.  "  They 
had  not  forgotten  the  conduct  of  Celeron  de  Bienville  in  the 
previous  year,  and  the  mysterious  plates  which  he  had  nailed 
against  trees  and  sunk  in  the  ground.  "  If  the  French  claim 
the  rivers  which  run  into  the  lakes,  "  said  they,  "  those  which 
run  into  the  Ohio  belong  to  us  and  to  our  brothers  the  Eng- 
lish."  And  they  were  anxious  that  Gist  should  settle 
among  them,  and  build  a  fort  for  their  mutual  defense. 

A  council  of  the  nation  was  now  held,  in  which  Gist 
invited  them,  in  the  name  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  to 
visit  that  province,  where  a  large  present  of  goods  awaited 
them,  sent  by  their  father,  the  great  king,  over  the  water  to 
his  Ohio  children.  The  invitation  was  graciously  received, 
but  no  answer  could  be  given  until  a  grand  council  of  the 
western  tribes  had  been  held,  which  was  to  take  place  at 
Logstown  in  the  ensuing  spring. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         85 

Similar  results  attended  visits  made  by  Gist  and  Crog- 
han  to  the  Delawares  and  the  Shawnees  at  their  villages 
about  the  Scioto  River ;  all  promised  to  be  at  the  gathering 
at  Logstown.  From  the  Shawnee  village,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Scioto,  the  two  emissaries  shaped  their  course  north  two 
hundred  miles,  crossed  the  great  Moneami,  or  Miami  River, 
on  a  raft,  swimming  their  horses ;  and  on  the  i  yth  of  Febru- 
ary arrived  at  the  Indian  town  of  Piqua. 

These  journeyings  had  carried  Gist  about  a  wide  extent 
of  country  beyond  the  Ohio.  It  was  rich  and  level,  watered 
with  streams  and  rivulets,  and  clad  with  noble  forests  of 
hickory,  walnut,  ash,  poplar,  sugar-maple,  and  wild  cherry 
trees.  Occasionally  there  were  spacious  plains  covered  with 
wild  rye ;  natural  meadows,  with  blue  grass  and  clover ;  and 
buffaloes,  thirty  and  forty  at  a  time,  grazing  on  them  as  in  a 
cultivated  pasture.  Deer,  elk,  and  wild  turkeys  abounded. 
"Nothing  is  wanted  but  cultivation,"  said  Gist,  "to  make 
this  a  most  delightful  country."  Cultivation  has  since 
proved  the  truth  of  his  words.  The  country  thus  described 
is  the  present  State  of  Ohio. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  83. 

Major  Washington's  Broadsword  Practice  Interrupted 

The  French  now  prepared  for  hostile  contingencies. 
They  launched  an  armed  vessel  of  unusual  size  on  Lake 
Ontario ;  fortified  their  trading  house  at  Niagara ;  strength- 
ened their  outposts,  and  advanced  others  on  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Ohio.  A  stir  of  warlike  preparation  was 
likewise  to  be  observed  among  the  British  colonies.  It  was 
evident  that  the  adverse  claims  to  the  disputed  territories, 
if  pushed  home,  could  only  be  settled  by  the  stern  arbitra- 
ment of  the  sword. 

In  Virginia,  especially,  the  war  spirit  was  manifest. 
The  province  was  divided  into  military  districts,  each 
having  an  adjutant  general,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  the 
pay  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  a  year,  whose  duty  was 
to  attend  to  the  organization  and  equipment  of  the  militia. 


86  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Such  an  appointment  was  sought  by  Lawrence  Wash- 
ington for  his  brother  George.  It  shows  what  must  have 
been  the  maturity  of  the  mind  of  the  latter,  and  the  con- 
fidence inspired  by  his  judicious  conduct  and  aptness  for 
business,  that  the  post  should  not  only  be  sought  for  him, 
but  readily  obtained ;  though  he  was  yet  but  nineteen  years 
of  age.  He  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  appointment. 

He  now  set  about  preparing  himself,  with  his  usual 
method  and  assiduity,  for  his  new  duties.  Virginia  had 
among  its  floating  population  some  military  relics  of  the 
late  Spanish  war.  Among  these  was  a  certain  Adjutant 
Muse,  a  Westmoreland  volunteer,  who  had  served  with 
Lawrence  Washington  in  the  campaigns  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  had  been  with  him  in  the  attack  on  Carthagena.  He 
now  undertook  to  instruct  his  brother  George  in  the  art 
of  war;  lent  him  treatises  on  military  tactics;  put  him 
through  the  manual  exercises,  and  gave  him  some  idea  of 
evolutions  in  the  field.  Another  of  Lawrence's  campaigning 
comrades  was  Jacob  Van  Braam,  a  Dutchman  by  birth; 
a  soldier  of  fortune  of  the  Dalgetty  order;  who  had  been 
in  the  British  army,  but  was  now  out  of  service,  and,  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  complete  master  of  fence,  recruited  his 
slender  purse  in  this  time  of  military  excitement,  by  giving 
the  Virginian  youth  lessons  in  sword  exercise. 

Under  the  instructions  of  these  veterans,  Mount  Vernon, 
from  being  a  quiet  rural  retreat,  where  Washington,  three 
years  previously,  had  indited  love  ditties  to  his  "lowland 
beauty,"  was  suddenly  transformed  into  a  school  of  arms, 
as  he  practised  the  manual  exercise  with  Adjutant  Muse,  or 
took  lessons  on  the  broadsword  from  Van  Braam. 

His  martial  studies,  however,  were  interrupted  for  a 
time  by  the  critical  state  of  his  brother's  health.  The  con- 
stitution of  Lawrence  had  always  been  delicate,  and  he  had 
been  obliged  repeatedly  to  travel  for  a  change  of  air.  There 
were  now  pulmonary  symptoms  of  a  threatening  nature, 
and  by  advice  of  his  physicians  he  determined  to  pass  a 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         87 

winter  in  the  West  Indies,  taking  with  him  his  favorite 
brother  George  as  a  companion.  They  accordingly  sailed 
for  Barbadoes  on  the  28th  of  September,  1751.  George 
kept  a  journal  of  the  voyage  with  log-book  brevity;  record- 
ing the  wind  and  weather,  but  no  events  worth  citation. 
They  landed  at  Barbadoes  on  the  3d  of  November. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  92. 

Arrival  of  the  Washington  Brothers  at  Barbadoes 

[George  kept  a  Journal  of  this  trip,  which,  though  preserved, 
is  torn  and  illegible  in  the  places  indicated  by  dots.] 

We  were  greatly  alarmed  with  the  cry  of  "  Land  "  at 
4  A :  M :  We  quitted  our  beds  with  surprise  and  found  y* 
land  plainly  appearing  at  about  3  leagues  distance,  when  by 
our  reckonings  we  shou'd  have  been  near  150  leagues  to 
the  windward — we  were  to  leeward  ab*  y6  distance  above 
mention 'd,  and  had  we  been  but  3  or  4  leagues  more,  we 
shou'd  have  been  out  of  sight  of  the  Island,  run  down  the 
latitude  and  probably  not  have  discovered.  .  .  ...  '. 

November  4th,  1751 . — This  morning  received  a  card 
from  Major  Clarke,  welcoming  us  to  Barbadoes,  with  an 
invitation  to  breakfast  and  dine  with  him.  We  went, — 
myself  with  some  reluctance,  as  the  smallpox  was  in  his 
family.  We  were  received  in  the  most  kind  and  friendly 
manner  by  him.  Mrs.  Clarke  was  much  indisposed,  inso- 
much that  we  had  not  the  pleasure  of  her  company,  but  in 
her  place  officiated  Miss  Roberts,  her  niece,  an  agreeable 
young  lady.  After  drinking  tea  we  were  again  invited  to 
Mr.  Carter's,  and  desired  to  make  his  house  ours  until  we 
could  find  lodgings  agreeable  to  our  wishes,  which  offer  we 
accepted. 

November  5th — Early  this  morning  came  Dr.  Hilary, 
an  eminent  physician,  recommended  by  Major  Clarke;  to 


88  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


pass  his  opinion  on  my  brother's  disorder,  which  he  did  in 
a  favorable  light,  giving  great  assurance  that  it  was  not  so 
fixed  but  that  a  cure  might  be  effectually  made.  In  the  cool 
of  the  evening  we  rode  out,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Carter, 
to  seek  lodgings  in  the  country,  as  the  Doctor  advised,  and 
were  perfectly  ravished  with  the  beautiful  prospects,  which 
every  side  presented  to  our  view, — the  fields  of  cane,  corn, 
fruit-trees,  &c.,  in  a  delightful  green.  We  returned  without 
accomplishing  our  intentions. 

Tuesday  6th. — At  Mr.  Carter's,  employing  ourselves  in 
writ8  letters  to  be  carried  by  the  schooner  Fredericksburg, 
Capt"  Robinson,  to  Virginia.  Received  a  card  from  Majr 
Clarke  wherein  our  companys  were  desired  to  dinner  to- 
morrow, &  and  myself  an  invitation  from  Mre.  Clarke  & 
Miss  Robts  to  come,  and  see  the  serp15  fir'd  from  guns,  &  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Mre.  Clarke. 

Wednesday  jth. — Dined  at  Majr  Clarke^;  and  by  him 
was  introduced  to  the  Surveyor-Gen1  &  Judges  Filey  & 
Hackett,  who  likewise  din'd  there.  In  the  evening  they 
complaisantly  accompanied  us  in  another  excursion  in  the 
country  to  choose  such  lodgings  as  most  suited.  We  pitched 
on  the  house  of  Captn.  Croftan,  commander  of  James  Fort ; 
he  was  desir'd  to  come  to  town  next  day  to  propose  his 
terms.  ... 

Thursday  8th. — Came  Captn.  Croftan  with  his  pro- 
posals which,  tho  extravagantly  dear,  my  Brother  was 
oblig'd  to  give : — £i  5  pr  Month  is  his  charge,  exclusive  of 
liquours  and  washing,  which  we  find.  In  the  evening  we 
remov'd  some  of  our  things  up  and  ourselves.  It's  very 
pleasantly  situated  and  pretty,  .  .  .  the  sea,  ab1  a 
mile  from  town.  The  prospect  is  extensive  by  land  and 
pleasant  by  sea,  as  we  command  the  prospect  of  Carlyle 
Bay,  in  such  manner  that  none  can  go  in  or  out  without 
being  open  to  our  view. 

Washington's  Barbadoes  Journal,  1751-2,  Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner.  M.D., 
pp.  39  to  48. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE          89 

"  Beefsteak  and  Tripe"  Club,     "  George  Barnwell,"  and 
Smallpox 

Friday  gth. — We  receiv'd  a  card  from  Majr  Clarke, 
inviting  us  to  dine  with  him  at  Judge  Maynard's  on  the 
morrow.  He  had  a  right  to  ask,  being  a  member  of  the 
Club  call'd  the  "  Beefsteak  &  Tripe,  "  instituted  by  himself. 

We  were  genteelly  receiv'd  by  Judge  Satus  Maynard  &  Lady, 
and  agreeably  entertain'd  by  the  company.  They  have 
a  meeting  every  Saturday,  this  being  Col°.  Maynard's. 
After  dinner  there  was  the  greatest  collection  of  fruits  I 
have  yet  seen  on  a  table.  There  was  the  Granadella,  the 
Sappadilla,  Pomegranate,  Sweet  Orange,  Water  Lemon, 
Forbidden  Fruit,  Apples,  Guavas,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  We 
receiv'd  invitations  from  every  gentleman  there,  &  one,  who 
also  was  there,  tho  not  one  of  their  Membra.  Mr.  Warren 
desir'd  Majr  Clarke  to  shew  us  the  way  to  his  house.  Mr. 
Hack1  insisted  on  our  coming  to  his,  being  his  day  to  treat 
with  beefsteak  &  tripe,  but,  above  all,  the  invitation  of  Mr. 
Maynard  was  the  most  kind  and  friendly.  He  desir'd,  and 
even  insisted,  as  well  as  his  lady,  on  our  coming  to  spend 
some  weeks  with  him,  and  promis'd  nothing  should  be 
wanting  to  render  our  stay  agreeable.  My  Br.  promis'd  he 
wou'd  as  soon  as  he  was  a  little  disengag'd  from  the  Drs. 
We  return'd,  and  by  ...  .  was  invited  to  dine  at 
.  Clarke's  the  next  day,  by  himself. 

Sunday  nth. — Dressed  in  order  for  Church  but  got  to 
town  too  late.  Dined  at  Majr  Clarke's  with  y6  Se  G:  [same 
gentlemen?]  Went  to  Evening  Service  and  return'd  to  our 
lodgings. 

Monday  I2th. — Receiv'd  an  afternoon  visit  from  Cap1. 
Petrie  and  an  invitation  to  dine  with  him  the  next  day. 

ijth. — Dine^d  at  the  Fort  Needham,  [where 
Capt.  Petrie  was  in  command]  with  some  ladies.     It's  pretty 


90  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

strongly  fortified,   and  mounts  about  36  guns  within  the 
fortifin.,  but  2  facine  batteries,  m  51. 

Wednesday  itfh. — At  our  lodgings. 

Thursday  i$th. — Was  treated  with  a  play  ticket  by 
Mr.  Carter  to  see  the  Tragedy  of  "George  Barn  well"  acted: 
the  characters  of  "Barn well"  and  several  others  were  said 
to  be  well  perform'd.  There  was  musick  adapted  and 
regularly  •  conducted  by  Mr. 

Saturday  i?tli. — Was  strongly  attacked  with  the  small- 
pox: sent  for  Dr.  Lanahan,  whose  attendance  was  very 
constant  till  my  recovery  and  going  out,  which  was  not  till 
Thursday,  the  i2th  of  December. 

...  .  December  i2th. — Went  to  town;  visited 
Majr  Clarke's  family,  (who  kindly  visited  me  in  my  illness, 
and  contributed  all  they  cou'd  in  send  me  the  necessaries 
required  in  y6  disorder)  and  dined  with  Majr.  Gaskens,  a 
half-br.  to  M155.  Clarke. 

Thursday  i8th. — Provided  my  sea  store  and  dined 
with  Mr.  Carter. 

Friday  igth. — Got  my  clothes,  store,  &c.,  on  board 
the  Industry,  Captn.  John  Saunders,  for  Virginia. 

Saturday  2ist. —  .  .  At  my  lodgings  .  .  .  my 
Brother — 

Sunday  22d. — Took  my  leave  of  my  Br.,  Majr  Clarke, 
&c.,  and  imbarked  on  the  Industry,  Captn.  John  Saunders, 
for  Virginia.  Weighed  anchor  and  got  out  of  Carlyle  Bay 
ab*  12. 

Washington's  Barbadoes  Journal,   1751-2,  Edited,  with   Notes,   J.   M.   Toner,   M.D.. 
pp.  49  to  55. 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         91 


Lawrence  "Hurrying  Home  to  His  Grave  !" 

After  his  recovery  he  made  excursions  about  the  island, 
noticing  its  soil,  productions,  fortifications,  public  works, 
and  the  manners  of  its  inhabitants.  While  admiring  the 
productiveness  of  the  sugar  plantations,  he  was  shocked  at 
the  spendthrift  habits  of  the  planters,  and  their  utter  want 
of  management. 

" How  wonderful, "  writes  he,  "that  such  people  should 
be  in  debt,  and  not  be  able  to  indulge  themselves  in  all  the 
luxuries,  as  well  as  the  necessaries  of  life.  Yet  so  it  happens. 
Estates  are  often  alienated  for  debts.  How  persons  coming 
to- estates  of  two,  three,  and  four  hundred  acres  can  want, 
is  to  me  most  wonderful."  How  much  does  this  wonder 
speak  for  his  own  scrupulous  principle  of  always  living 
within  compass. 

The  residence  in  Barbadoes  failed  to  have  the  antici- 
pated effect  on  the  health  of  Lawrence,  and  he  determined 
to  seek  the  sweet  climate  of  Bermuda  in  the  spring.  He 
felt  the  absence  from  his  wife,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
George  should  return  to  Virginia,  and  bring  her  out  to  meet 
him  at  that  island.  Accordingly,  .  .  .  George  set 
sail  .  .  .  [for]  Virginia,  where  he  arrived  on  the  ist 
February,  1752,  after  five  weeks  of  stormy  winter  sea- 
faring. 

Lawrence  remained  through  the  winter  at  Barbadoes; 
but  the  very  mildness  of  the  climate  relaxed  and  enervated 
him.  He  felt  the  want  of  the  bracing  winter  weather  to 
which  he  had  been  accustomed.  Even  the  invariable 
beauty  of  the  climate,  the  perpetual  summer,  wearied  the 
restless  invalid.  "This  is  the  finest  island  of  the  West 
Indies, "  said  he ;  "  but  I  own  no  place  can  please  me  without 
a  change  of  seasons.  We  soon  tire  of  the  same  prospect." 
A  consolatory  truth  for  the  inhabitants  of  more  capricious 
climes. 

Still,  some  of  the  worst  symptoms  of  his  disorder  had 

1-8 


92  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

disappeared,  and  he  seemed  to  be  slowly .  recovering ;  but 
the  nervous  restlessness  and  desire  of  change,  often  inci- 
dental to  his  malady,  had  taken  hold  of  him,  and  early  in 
March  he  hastened  to  Bermuda.  He  had  come  too  soon. 
The  keen  air  of  early  spring  brought  on  an  aggravated 
return  of  his  worst  symptoms.  "  I  have  now  got  to  my  last 
refuge,"  writes  he  to  a  friend,  "where  I  must  receive  my 
final  sentence,  which  at  present  Dr.  Forbes  will  not  pro- 
nounce. He  leaves  me,  however,  I  think,  like  a  criminal 
condemned,  though  not  without  hopes  of  reprieve.  But 
this  I  am  to  obtain  by  meritoriously  abstaining  from  flesh 
of  every  sort,  all  strong  liquour,  and  by  riding  as  much  as 
I  can  bear.  These  are  the  only  terms  on  which  I  am  to  hope 
for  life.  .  ;  ;.  ." 

The  very  next  letter,  written  shortly  afterward  in  a 
moment  of  despondency,  talks  of  the  possibility  of  "hurry- 
ing home  to  his  grave!" 

The  last  was  no  empty  foreboding.  He  did  indeed 
hasten  back,  and  just  reached  Mount  Vernon  in  time  to 
die  under  his  own  roof,  surrounded  by  his  family  and  friends, 
and  attended  in  his  last  moments  by  that  brother  on  whose 
manly  affection  his  heart  seemed  to  repose.  His  death 
took  place  on  the  26th  July,  1752,  when  but  thirty-four 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  noble-spirited,  pure-minded, 
accomplished  gentleman;  honored  by  the  public,  and 
beloved  by  his  friends.  The  paternal  care  ever  manifested 
by  him  for  his  youthful  brother,  George,  and  the  influence 
his  own  character  and  conduct  must  have  had  upon  him  in 
his  ductile  years,  should  link  their  memories  together  in 
history,  and  endear  the  name  of  Lawrence  Washington  to 
every  American. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  96. 

The  Home-coming 

The  Sprightly  Jane  was  to  make  another  voyage  in 
March,  and  it  was  intended  that  George  and  his  sister 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         93 

should  sail  on  her;  but  she  was  delayed  below  Mount 
Vernon  for  two  weeks  waiting  for  a  wind.  One  morning 
late  in  March,  George,  on  looking  out  of  the  window  on 
rising  to  see  if  there  were  any  chance  of  getting  off  that  day, 
felt  a  strong  wind  from  the  northwest;  but  as  soon  as  his 
eyes  fell  on  the  river  he  saw  a  frigate  at  anchor  that  had 
evidently  come  in  during  the  night.  And  while  watching 
her  he  saw  the  captain's  gig  shove  off  with  two  figures  in  it 
that  wonderfully  resembled  his  brother  Lawrence  and  his 
faithful  Peter.  George  jumped  into  his  clothes,  and  ran 
down-stairs  and  to  the  shore  to  make  certain,  and  there  in 
the  boat,  half-supported  by  his  servant,  lay  Lawrence, 
pale  and  ill  beyond  description,  but  with  a  happy  light  in 
his  weary,  suffering  eyes.  In  a  few  minutes  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton came  flying  down,  and,  with  clasped  hands  and  tears 
streaming  down  her  cheeks,  awaited  her  husband  on  the 
end  of  the  little  wharf.  .  .  .  This  joyous  welcome, 
the  presence  of  faces  dear  and  familiar,  the  sight  of  home, 
was  almost  too  much  happiness  for  the  poor  invalid.  George 
literally  carried  Lawrence  in  his  strong  young  arms  up  to 
the  house,  while  his  wife  clung  to  his  hand.  .*'  .  . 

"I  could  not  stay  away  any  longer,"  said  Lawrence, 
"  and  when  the  ship  came  to  Bermuda,  and  the  kind  captain 
saw  how  hard  it  was  for  me  to  stay,  to  die  among  strangers, 
he  invited  me  to  return  with  him  as  his  guest.  I  thought 
that  you,  Anne,  and  George  might  already  have  started 
for  Bermuda,  but,  thanks  to  the  good  God,  I  find  you  here. " 

All  those  who  loved  Lawrence  Washington  saw  that 
day  that  his  end  was  near,  and  within  three  months,  he 
gave  up  his  life. 

One  gloomy  September  day,  just  a  year  from  the  time 
he  had  set  forth  with  his  brother  on  that  dreary  voyage, 
George  realized  that,  at  last,  he  was  master  of  Mount  Vernon, 
and  the  realization  was  one  of  the  most  painful  moments  of 
his  life.  He  returned  to  the  place  at  Belvoir,  the  home  of 
his  sister's  father,  where,  he  had  left  her.  In  vain  he  had 


94  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

pleaded  with  her  to  continue  at  Mount  Vernon;  for  Law- 
rence in  his  will,  had  given  it  to  her  during  her  lifetime. 
But,  gentle  and  submissive  in  all  things  else,  Anne  Wash- 
ington could  not  and  would  not  return  to  the  home  of  her 
brief  married  happiness  and  the  spot  connected  with  the 
long  series  of  crushing  griefs  that  had  befallen  her. 

A  Virginia  Cavalier,  Molly  Elliot  Sea  well,  p.  271. 

The  Art  of  War  and  Manual  of  Arms 

From  the  sunshine  and  ease  of  this  tropical  winter 
Washington  passed  to  a  long  season  of  trial  and  responsi- 
bility at  home  and  abroad.  .In  July,  1752,  his  much-loved 
brother  Lawrence  died,  leaving  George  guardian  of  his 
daughter  and  heir  to  his  estates  in  the  event  of  that  daugh- 
ter's death.  Thus  the  current  of  his  home  life '  changed, 
and  responsibility  came  into  it,  while  outside  the  mighty 
stream  of  public  events  changed  too,  and  swept  him  along 
in  the  swelling  torrent  of  a  world-wide  war. 

In  all  the  vast  wilderness  beyond  the  mountains 
there  was  not  room  for  both  French  and  English.  The 
rival  nations  had  been  for  years  slowly  approaching  each 
other,  until  in  1749  each  people  proceeded  at  last  to  take 
possession  of  the  Ohio  country  after  its  own  fashion.  The 
French  sent  a  military  expedition  which  sank  and  nailed 
up  leaden  plates ;  the  English  formed  a  great  land  company 
to  speculate  and  make  money,  and  both  set  diligently  to 
work  to  form  Indian  alliances.  A  man  of  far  less  percep- 
tion than  Lawrence  Washington,  who  had  become  the  chief 
manager  of  the  Ohio  Company,  would  have  seen  that  the 
conditions  on  the  frontier  rendered  war  inevitable,  and  he 
accordingly  made  ready  for'  the  future  by  preparing  his 
brother  for  the  career  of  a  soldier,  so  far  as  it  could  be  done. 


At  the  same  time  Lawrence  Washington  procured  for  his 
brother,  then  only  nineteen  years  of  age,  an  appointment 
as  one  of  the  adjutants-general  of  Virginia  with  the  rank 


GEORGE  AND  HIS  BROTHER  LAWRENCE         95 

of  major.  To  all  this  the  young  surveyor  took  kindly 
enough,  so  far  as  we  can  tell,  but  his  military  avocations 
were  interrupted  by  his  voyage  to  Barbadoes,  by  the  illness 
and  death  of  his  brother,  and  by  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities thereby  thrust  upon  him. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  62. 

The  Unmarried  Master  of  Mount  Vernon 

Rich,  intelligent,  and  his  own  master,  Washington 
must  have  been  an  object  of  envy  among  the  young  men  of 
his  acquaintance.  Impetuous  and  self-willed,  and  with 
veins  full  of  rich  red  blood  that  had  never  been  weakened 
by  excess  or  poisoned  by  rum,  the  natural  thing  would  have 
been  for  him  to  hurry  over  to  London  or  Paris,  stay  there 
until  he  had  toned  himself  down  to  the  conventional 
"swell"  level  of  inanition,  and  then  return  to  explain  in 
confidence  that  America  was  fit  only  to  make  money  in. 
What  he  did,  however,  was  to  remain  at  home,  mind  his 
own  business,  and  enjoy  the  life  to  which  he  was  accustomed, 
and  a  more  positive  illustration  of  his  unusual  good  sense 
is  not  on  record.  The  attention  that  he  received  may  have 
laid  the  foundation  of  that  very  good  opinion  which  he  is 
believed  to  have  had  of  himself,  and  which  subsequent 
experience  gave  him  no  occasion  to  abandon. 

Hi3  position  and  character  assured  him  as  much  social 
consideration  as  he  could  hope  to  receive  anywhere,  and  as 
he  was  too  healthy  to  crave  artificial  pleasures,  he  could  be 
perfectly  happy  upon  those  the  country  afforded.  As  he 
was  extremely  handsome  as  well  as  rich  and 'healthy,  he 
must  have  been  the  champion  "  catch,  "  and  as  the  Virginia 
belles  were  as  beautiful  and  refined  then  as  now,  he  would 
have  been  an  idiot  to  have  sought  ladies'  society  elsewhere. 
One's  digestive  apparatus  aches  to  think  of  the  innumerable 
dinners  and  teas  that  were  set  expressly  for  him  by  prudent 
mammas,  and  the  shoemaker  who  constructed  his  dancing 
slippers  must  have  been  indeed  a  busy  man.  The  glory  of 


96  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

his  bachelor  days  lasted  about  two  years — just  long  enough 
to  convince  a  well-to-do  young  man  that  all  maidens  are 
mercenary,  and  to  drive  him,  through  spite,  to  throw  him- 
self away  upon  the  homeliest  and  stupidest  girl  of  his 
acquaintance.  But  suddenly  Heaven,  which  looks  out  for 
its  own,  allowed  the  difficulty  with  the  French  and  Indians 
to  come  to  a  crisis,  and  England  to  become  acquainted  for 
the  first  time  with  George  Washington  as  a  soldier. 

Gtorgt  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  ta. 


The  Youthful  Envoy 

Like  all  Virginians,  I  was  disturbed  during  this  time 
by  the  news  of  the  insolence  of  the  French  on  the  frontier, 
and  began  to  feel  that  my  brother's  money,  put  into  the 
Ohio  Company,  was  in  peril,  for  we  were  like  to  be  cooped 
up  by  a  line  of  forts,  and  our  trade  in  peltries  was  already 
almost  at  an  end,  and  about  to  pass  into  the  hands  of  the 
French.  We  learned  with  pleasure  that  the  royal  governors 
were  ordered  to  insist  on  the  retirement  of  these  overbusy 
French,  who  claimed  all  the  land  up  to  the  Alleghanies,  but 
I  did  not  dream  that  I  was  soon  to  take  part  in  the  matter. 

About  that  time,  or  before,  there  had  been  much 
effort  to  secure  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians  as  allies.  One  of 
their  chiefs,  Tanacharisson,  known  as  the  Half-King, 
because  of  holding  a  subsidiary  rule  among  the  Indians, 
advised  a  fort  to  be  built  by  us  near  to  the  Forks  of  the 
Ohio,  on  the  east  bank,  and  Gist,  the  trader  set  out  on  this 
errand.  A  Captain  Trent  was  charged  to  carry  our  king's 
message  to  the  French  outposts;  but  having  arrived  at 
Logstown,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  his  destination 
and  hearing  of  the  defeat  of  our  allies,  the  Miamis,  by  the 
French,  he  lost  heart  and  came  back  to  report.  The  Ohio 
Company  at  this  time  complained  to  the  governor  of  the 
attacks  on  their  traders,  and  this  gentleman,  being  concerned 
both  for  his  own  pocket  and  for  his  Majesty's  property, 
resolved  to  send  some  one  of  more  spirit  to  bear  the  King's 
message  ordering  the  French  to  retire  and  to  cease  to  molest 
our  fur  traders  about  the  Ohio. 

It  was  unfortunate  that  Governor  Dinwiddie,  who  was 

(97) 


98  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

now  eager  to  defend  his  interests  in  the  Ohio  Company, 
had  lost  the  prudent  counsel  of  its  late  head,  my  brother 
Lawrence.  He  would  have  made  a  better  envoy  than  I, 
for  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  a  man  is  too  young  to  influence 
the  Indians,  on  account  of  a  certain  reverence  they  have  for 
age  in  council.  I  was  ignorant  of  what  was  intended  when 
I  received  orders  to  repair  to  Williamsburg.  To  my  sur- 
prise, and  I  may  say  to  my  pleasure,  I  learned  that  I  was  to 
go  to  Logstown.  I  was  there  to  meet  our  allies"  the  Indians, 
and  secure  from  them  an  escort  and  guides,  and  so  push  on 
and  find  the  French  commander.  I  was  to  deliver  to  him 
my  summons,  and  wait  an  answer  during  one  week,  and 
then  return.  I  was  also  to  keep  my  eyes  open  as  to  all 
matters  of  military  concern. 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  S.  Weir-  Mitchell, 
M.D.,  p.*  120. 

Receiving  His  Instructions 

George's  appearance,  always  striking,  was  more  so 
from  the  handsome  mourning  suit  he  still  wore,  although 
his  brother  had  been  dead  more  than  a  year.  It  showed  off 
his  blond  beauty  wonderfully  well.  His  features  had 
become  more  marked  as  he  grew  older,  and  although  the 
face  lacked  the  regular  beauty  of  his  father's  who  had  been 
thought  the  handsomest  man  of  his  time,  there  was  a 
piercing  expression,  an  indescribable  look  of  dignity  and 
intelligence  in  George's  countenance,  which  marked  him 
in  every  company. 

The  governor,  who  was  a  fussy  but  well-meaning  man, 
began  as  soon  as  the  formal  greetings  were  over:  "Major 
Washington,  I  have  work  in  hand  for  you.  I  am  told  by 
my  Lord  Fairfax  and  others  that  you  are  the  fittest  person 
in  the  colony  for  the  work  I  have  in  hand.  It  requires  the 
discretion  of  an  old  man,  but  it  also  requires  the  hardiness 
and  strength  of  a  young  man,  and  you  see,  therefore,  what 
a  burden  I  lay  upon  you. " 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION        99 

George's  face  turned  quite  pale  at  these  words.  "  Sir, " 
he  stammered,  "  you  ask  more  of  me  than  I  can  do.  I  will 
give  all  my  time  and  all  my  mind  to  my  country ;  but  I  am 
afraid,  sir — I  am  very  much  afraid — that  you  are  putting 
me  in  a  position  I  am  not  capable  of  filling.  " 

"  We  must  trust  some  one,  Major  Washington,  and  I 
sent  not  for  you  until  I  and  my  council  had  fully  determined 
what  to  do.  Here  are  your  instructions.  You  will  see 
that  you  are  directed  to  set  out  with  a  suitable  escort  at 
once  for  the  Ohio  River,  and  convene  all  the  chiefs  you  can 
at  Logstown.  You  are  to  find  out  exactly  how  they  stand 
toward  us.  You  are  then  to  take  such  a  route  as  you  think 
judicious  to  the  nearest  French  post,  deliver  a  letter  from 
me,  sealed  with  the  great  seal  of  the  colony,  to  the  French 
commandant,  and  demand  an  answer  in  the  name  of  his 
Britannic  majesty.  You  are  to  find  out  everything  possible 
as  to  the  number  of  the  French  forts,  their  armament, 
troops,  commisariat,  and  where  they  are  situated;  and 
upon  the  information  you  bring  will  depend  to  a  great 
degree  whether  there  shall  be  war  between  England  and 
France.  When  will  you  be  ready  to  depart?" 

"To-morrow  morning,  sir,"  answered  George. 

A  Virginia  Cavalier,  Molly  Elliot  Seawell,  p.  278. 

Governor  Dinwiddie's  Letter  to  the  French  Commandant 

SIR,  The  Lands  upon  the  River  Ohio,  in  the  Western 
Parts  of  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  are  so  notoriously  known  to 
be  the  Property  of  the  Crown  of  Great- Britain;  that  it  is  a 
Matter  of  equal  Concern  and  Surprise  to  me,  to  hear  that 
a  Body  of  French  Forces  are  erecting  Fortresses,  and  making 
Settlements  upon  that  River,  within  his  Majesty's  Domin- 
ions. 

The  many  and  repeated  Complaints  I  have  received 
of  these  Acts  of  Hostility,  lay  me  under  the  Necessity  of 
sending,  in  the  Name  of  the  King  my  Master,  the  Bearer 
hereof,  George  Washington,  Esq.;  one  of  the  Adjutants 


ioo  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

General  of  the  Forces  of  this  Dominion,  to  complain  to  you 
of  the  Encroachments  thus  made,  and  of  the  Injuries  done 
to  the  Subjects  of  Great-Britain,  in  open  Violation  of  the 
Law  of  Nations,  and  the  Treaties  now  subsisting  between 
the  two  Crowns. 

If  these  Facts  are  true,  and  you  shall  think  fit  to  justify 
your  Proceedings,  I  must  desire  you  to  acquaint  me  by 
whose  Authority  and  Instructions  you  have  lately  marched 
from  Canada,  with  an  armed  Force;  and  invaded  the  King 
of  Great-Britain's  Territories,  in  the  Manner  complained  of? 
that  according  to  the  Purport  and  Resolution  of  your 
Answer,  I  may  act  agreeably  to  the  Commission  I  am 
honoured  with,  from  the  King  my  Master. 

However  Sir,  in  Obedience  to  my  Instructions,  it 
becomes  my  Duty  to  require  your  peaceable  Departure; 
and  that  you  would  forbear  prosecuting  a  Purpose  so  inter- 
ruptive  of  the  Harmony  and  good  Understanding,  which 
his  Majesty  is  desirous  to  continue  and  cultivate  with  the 
most  Christian  King. 

I  persuade  myself  that  you  will  receive  and  entertain 
Major  Washington  with  the  Candour  and  Politeness  natural 
to  your  Nation ;  and  it  will  give  me  the  greatest  Satisfaction ; 
if  you  return  him  with  an  Answer  suitable  to  my  Wishes  for 
a  long  and  lasting  Peace  between  us.  I  have  the  Honour 
to  subscribe  myself, 

SIR, 

Your  most  obedient          , 
Williamsburg,  in  Virginia,  Humble  Servant, 

October  3ist,  1753.  ROBERT  DINWIDDIE. 

Copy  of  his  Honour  the  Governor's  Letter  to  the  Commandant  of  the  French  Forces  on 
the  Ohio,  sent  by  Major  Washington,  appended  to  Washington's  Journal,  p.  41. 

George,  Van  Braam  and  Gist  Set  out 

The  conditions  of  this  expedition  made  it  appear  a 
journey  of  pleasure  compared  with  those  which  he  had 
undertaken  in  the  lonely  hardships  of  his  survey  work. 


MAJOR  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      101 

When  George  set  forth  this  time,  armed  with  proper  creden- 
tials, accompanied  by  the  faithful  fencing-master  Van  Braam 
and  by  Christopher  Gist,  the  king  of  living  pioneers,  with 
servants  and  arms  and  provisions,  he  looked  back  with 
something  like  respect  to  his  own  boyish  self,  traveling  on 
foot,  knapsack  on  back,  through  this  very  country,  merely 
intent  on  learning  his  trade  and  making  an  honorable 
living^  On  his  way  to  Wills'  Creek,  where  Van  Braam  was 
to  join  him,  he  halted  at  the  spot  at  the  head  of  the  Shenan- 
doah  Valley,  where,  three  years  before,  he  had  sat  in  the 
moonlight,  reading  a  packet  of  letters  from  home.  His 
little  hut  was  still  standing  on  the  grassy  eminence  above 
the  stream.  The  woods  where  he  had  blazed  paths  and 
marked  trees  still  kept  the  traces  of  his  passage.  They  were 
once  more  in  all  their  autumn  glory,  for  it  was  October, 
and  again  the  hunter's  moon  hung  huge  and  golden  in  the 
sky,  again  the  maples  sent  their  flaming  fleets  circling  down 
on  the  crystal  eddies  of  the  Shenandoah. 

"Only  three  years,"  thought  George,  "and  so  much 
gone,  so  much  that  I  never  hoped  for  come!  Then,  I 
scarce  dared  think  of  what  seemed  forbidden  ambitions, 
now  the  doors  have  opened  of  themselves.  'Twill  be  my 
own  fault  if  they  ever  close  again." 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Fraser,  p.  381. 

Going  on  from  Williamsburg 

Washington  set  off  from  Williamsburg  on  the  3oth  of 
October  [3ist],  the  very  day  on  which  he  received  his 
credentials.  At  Fredericksburg  he  engaged  his  old  "  master 
of  fence,"  Jacob  Van  Braam,  to  accompany  him  as  inter- 
preter; though  it  would  appear  from  subsequent  circum- 
stances, that  the  veteran  swordsman  was  but  indifferently 
versed  either  in  French  or  English. 

Having  provided  himself  at  Alexandria  with  the 
necessaries  for  the  journey,  he  proceeded  to  Winchester, 
then  on  the  frontier,  where  he  procured  horses,  tents,  and 


103  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

other  traveling  equipments,  and  then  pushed  on  by  a  road 
newly  opened  to  Wills'  Creek  (town  of  Cumberland),  where 
he  arrived  on  the  i4th  of  November. 

Here  he  met  Mr.  Gist,  the  intrepid  pioneer,  who  had 
explored  the  Ohio  in  the  employ  of  the  company,  and  whom 
he"  engaged  to  accompany  and  pilot  him  in  the  present 
expedition.  He  secured  the  services,  also,  of  one  John 
Davidson,  as  Indian  interpreter,  and  of  four  frontiersmen, 
two  of  whom  were  Indian  traders.  With  this  little  band, 
and  his  swordsman  and  interpreter,  Jacob  Van  Braam,  he 
set  forth  on  the  i5th  of  November,  through  a  wild  country, 
rendered  almost  impassable  by  recent  storms  of  rain  and 
snow. 

At  the  mouth  of  Turtle  Creek,  on  the  Monongahela, 
he  found  John  Frazier,  the  Indian  trader,  some  of  whose 
people  .  .  .  had  been  sent  off  prisoners  to  Canada.  Frazier 
himself  had  recently  been  ejected  by  the  French  from  the 
Indian  village  of  Venango,  where  he  had  a  gunsmith's 
establishment.  According  to  his  account  the  French 
general  who  had  commanded  on  this  frontier  was  dead,  and 
the.  greater  part  of  the  forces  were  retired  into  winter 
quarters. 

As  the  rivers  were  all  so  swollen  that  the  horses  had 
to  swim  them,  Washington  sent  all  the  baggage  down  the 
Monongahela  in  a  canoe  under  care  of  two  of  the  men,  who 
had  orders  to  meet  him  at  the  confluence  of  that  river  with 
the  Allegheny,  where  their  united  waters  form  the  Ohio. 

"As  I  got  down  before  the  canoe,"  writes  he  in  his 
journal,  "  I  spent  some  time  in  viewing  the  rivers,  and  the 
land  at  the  Fork,  which  I  think  extremely  well  situated  for 
a  fort,  as  it  has  the  absolute  command  of  both  rivers.  The 
land  at  the  point  is  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  above  the 
common  surface  of  the  water,  and  has  a  considerable 
bottom  of  flat,  well-timbered  land  all  around  it,  very  con- 
venient for  building.  The  rivers  are  each  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  or  more  across,  and  run  here  very  nearly  at  right 


angles;  Allegheny  bearing  northeast,  and  Monongahela 
southeast.  The  former  of  these  two  is  a  very  rapid  and 
swift-running  water,  the  other  deep  and  still,  without  any 
perceptible  fall."  The  Ohio  Company  had  intended  to 
build  a  fort  about  two  miles  from  this  place,  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  river;  but  Washington  gave  the  fork  the 
decided  preference.  French  engineers  of  experience  proved 
the  accuracy  of  his  military  eye,  by  subsequently  choosing 
it  for  the  site  of  Fort  Duquesne,  noted  in  frontier  history. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  105. 

The  Indian  Council  at  Logstown 

In  this  neighborhood  lived  Shingiss,  the  king  or  chief 
sachem  of  the  Delawares.  Washington  visited  him  at  his 
village,  to  invite  him  to  the  council  at  Logstown.  He  was 
one  of  the  greatest  warriors  of  his  tribe,  and  subsequently 
took  up  the  hatchet  at  various  times  against  the  English, 
though  now  he  seemed  favorably  disposed,  and  readily 
accepted  the  invitation. 

They  arrived  at  Logstown  after  sunset  on  the  24th  of 
November.  The  Half-King  was  absent  at  his  hunting  lodge 
on  Beaver  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles  distant;  but  Wash- 
ington sent  out  runners  to  invite  him  and  all  the  other  chiefs 
to  a  grand  talk  the  following  day. 

In  the  morning  four  French  deserters  came  into  the 
village.  They  had  deserted  from  a  company  of  one  hundred 
men,  sent  up  from  New  Orleans  with  eight  canoes  laden 
with  provisions.  Washington  drew  from  them  an  account 
of  the  French  fort  at  New  Orleans,  and  of  the  forts  along 
the  Mississippi,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  by  which 
they  kept  up  a  communication  with  the  lakes;  all  which 
he  carefully  noted  down.  The  deserters  were  on  their  way 
to  Philadelphia,  conducted  by  a  Pennsylvania  trader. 

About  three  o'clock  the  Half-King  arrived.  Washington 
had  a  private  conversation  with  him  in  his  tent,  through 
Davidson  the  interpreter.  He  found  him  intelligent, 


104  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

patriotic  and  proudly  tenacious  of  hi's  territorial  rights. 
We  have  already  cited  from  Washington's  papers  the  account 
given  by  this  chief  in  this  conversation,  of  his  interview 
with  the  late  French  commander.  He  stated,  moreover, 
that  the  French  had  built  two  forts,  differing  in  size,  but 
on  the  same  model,  a  plan  of  which  he  gave,  of  his  own 
'drawing.  The  largest  was  on  Lake  Erie,  the  other  on 
French  Creek,  fifteen  miles  apart,  with  a  wagon  road  between 
them.  The  nearest  and  levelest  way  to  them  was  now 
impassable,  lying  through  large  and  miry  savannahs; 
they  would  have,  therefore,  to  go  by  Venango,  and  it  would 
take  five  or  six  sleeps  (or  days)  of  good  traveling  to  reach 
the  nearest  fort. 

On  the  following  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  the  chiefs 
assembled  at  the  council-house,  where  Washington,  accord- 
ing to  his  instructions,  informed  them  that  he  was  sent  by 
their  brother,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  to  deliver  to  the 
French  commandant  a  letter  of  great  importance,  both  to 
their  brothers  the  English  and  to  themselves;  and  that  he 
was  to  ask  their  advice  and  assistance,  and  some  of  their 
young  men  to  accompany  and  provide  for  him  on  the  way, 
and  be  his  safeguard  against  the  "  French  Indians"  who  had 
taken  up  the  hatchet.  He  concluded  by  presenting  the 
indispensable  document  in  Indian  diplomacy,  a  string  of 
wampum. 

The  chiefs,  according  to  ettiquette,  sat  for  some  mo- 
ments silent  after  he  had  concluded,  as  if  ruminating  on 
what  had  been  said,  or  to  give  him  time  for  further  remark. 

The  Half-King  then  rose  and  spoke  on  behalf  of  the 
tribes,  assuring  him  that  they  considered  the  English  and 
themselves  brothers,  and  one  people ;  and  that  they  intended 
to  return  the  French  the  "speech-belts,"  or  wampums, 
which  the  latter  had  sent  them.  This,  in  Indian  diplomacy, 
is  a  renunciation  of  all  friendly  relations.  An  escort  would 
be  furnished  to  Washington  composed  of  Mingoes,  Shan- 
noahs,  and  Delawares,  in  token  of  the  love  and  loyalty  of 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      105 

those  several  tribes;  but  three  days  would  be  required  to 
prepare  for  the  journey. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  107. 

From  Logstown  to  Venango 

After  a  day  or  two  more  of  delay  and  further  consul- 
tations in  the  council-house,  the  chiefs  determined  that  but 
three  of  their  number  should  accompany  the  mission,  as  a 
greater  number  might  awaken  the  suspicions  of  the  French. 
Accordingly,  on  the  3oth  of  November,  Washington  set 
out  for  the  French  post,  having  his  usual  party  augmented 
by  an  Indian  hunter,  and  being  accompanied  by  the  Half- 
King,  an  old  Shannoah  sachem  named  Jeskakake,  and 
another  chief,  sometimes  called  Belt  of  Wampum,  from 
being  the  keeper  of  the  speech-belts,  but  generally  bearing 
the  sounding  appellation  of  White  Thunder. 

Although  the  distance  to  Venango,  by  the  route  taken, 
was  not  above  seventy  miles,  yet  such  was  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  and  the  difficulty  of  traveling,  that  Wash- 
ington and  his  party  did  not  arrive  there  until  the  4th  of 
December.  The  French  colors  were  flying  at  a  house  whence 
John  Frazier,  the  English  trader,  had- been  driven.  Wash- 
ington repaired  thither,  and  inquired  of  three  French 
officers  whom  he  saw  there  where  the  commandant  resided. 
One  of  them  promptly  replied  that  he  had  "the  command 
of  the  Ohio."  It  was,  in  fact,  the  redoubtable  Captain 
Joncaire,  the  veteran  intriguer  of  the  frontier.  On  being 
apprised,  however,  of  the  nature  of  Washington's  errand, 
he  informed  him  that  there  was  a  general  officer  at  the  next 
fort,  where  he  advised  him  to  apply  for  an  answer  to  the 
letter  of  which  he  was  the  bearer. 

In  the  meantime  he  invited  Washington  and  his  party 
to  a  supper  at  head-quarters.  It  proved  a  jovial  one,  for 
Joncaire  appears  to  have  been  somewhat  of  a  boon  com- 
panion, and  there  is  always  ready,  though  rough,  hospitality 
in  the  wilderness.  It  is  true,  Washington,  for  so  young  a 


io6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


man,  may  not  have  had  the  most  convivial  air,  but  there 
may  have  been  a  moist  look  of  promise  in  the  old  soldier 
Van  Braam. 

Joncaire  and  his  brother  officers  pushed  the  bottle 
briskly.  "The  wine,"  says  Washington,  "as  they  dosed 
themselves  pretty  plentifully  with  it,  soon  banished  the 
restraint  which  at  first  appeared  in  their  conversation,  and 
gave  a  license  to  their,  tongues  to  reveal  their  sentiments 
more  freely.  They  told  me  that  it  was  their  absolute 
design  to  take  possession  of  the  Ohio,  and  by  G —  they 
would  do  it;  for  that  although  they  were  sensible  that  the 
English  coulcj  raise  two  men  for  their  one,  yet  they  knew 
their  motions  were  too  slow  and  dilatory  to  prevent  any 
undertaking.  They  pretend  to  have  an  undoubted  right 
to  the  river  from  a  discovery  made  by  one  La  Salle  sixty 
years  ago,  and 'the  rise  of  this  expedition  is  to  prevent  our 
settling  on  the  river  or  the  waters  of  it,  as  they  heard  of  some 
families  moving  out  in  order  thereto." 

Washington  retained  his  sobriety  and  composure 
throughout  all  the  rodomontade  and  bacchanalian  out- 
break of  the  mercurial  Frenchmen,  leaving  the  task  of  pledg- 
ing them  to  his  master  of  fence,  Van  Braam,  who  was  not 
a  man  to  flinch  from  potations.  He  took  careful  note,  how- 
ever, of  all  their  revelations,  and  collected  a  variety  of 
information  concerning  the  French  forces;  how  and  where 
they  were  distributed ;  the  situations  and  distances  of  their 
forts,  and  their  means  and  mode  of  obtaining  supplies. 
If  the  veteran  -diplomatist  of  the  wilderness  had  intended 
this  revel  for  a  snare,  he  was  completely  foiled  by  his  youth- 
ful competitor. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.1,  p.  in. 

Drink  and  Diplomacy 

At  the  beginning  of  winter,  and  without  an  armed 
guard,  Washington  started  on  a  longer,  more  difficult,  and 
more  dangerous  trip  than  any  one,  not  excepting  a  tramp, 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      107 

could  make  in  the  far  west  to-day.  A  large  portion  of  his 
route  was  innocent  of  roads,  ferries,  and  inns;  there  were 
not  even  occasional  settlers  to  invite  a  man  to  pass  the  night 
so  as  to  have  some  one  to  talk  to  death.  The  young  man's 
headquarters  were  in  the  saddle,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
subsist  in  large  part  upon  the  country,  which  could  give  him 
only  game  and  fish,  and  his  guides  were  frequently  Indians 
belonging  to  tribes  that  the  French  had  prejudiced  against 
the  colonies.  But  a  cool  head,  a  good  circulation,  and  a 
stiff  upper  lip  enabled  him  to  get  through  alive.  Washing- 
ton first  struck  the  French  at  Venango,  now  within  the 
limits  of  Pennsylvania.  The  post  was  in  charge  of  a  veteran 
named  Joncaire,  a  jolly  good  fellow  in  whom  diplomacy 
and  whiskey  were  present  in  large  quantities  without  inter- 
fering with  one  another.  The  arrival  of  a  visitor,  even  if 
his  errand  might  be  supposed  in  advance  to  be  of  an  unpleas- 
ant nature,  was  sufficient  excuse  for  the  uproarious  evening 
for  which  Joncaire  promptly  prepared.  There  was  a  supper, 
with  drink  ad  libitum,  and  in  the  course  of  the  entertain- 
ment the  Frenchman  announced,  with  a  big  oath,  that  the 
country  belonged  to  France,  and  France  would  keep  it. 
Having  thus  prepared  the  young  Virginian  for  what  he 
might  expect,  Joncaire  forwarded  Washington,  in  the 
heartiest  way  in  the  world,  ta  the  Frenchman's  superior 
officer  who  was  at  a  fort  on  French  Creek,  near  Lake  Erie. 
Washington  had  supposed  himself  .morally  backed  by  an 
Indian  Half- King  who  considered  himself  and  his  people 
aggrieved  by  the  French,  but  Joncaire  made  the  old  fellow 
so  drunk  that  he  forgot  to  complain  at  the  proper  time,  and 
when  the  dusky  monarch's  morning  headache  brought 
with  it  a  desire  to  make  good  his  short-comings,  Joncaire 
kindly  advised  him  to  complain  at  the  fort.  Arrived  at  the 
fort,  the  young  envoy  was  received  by  the  commandant, 
the  Chevalier  Legardeur  de  St.  Pierre,  a  venerable  but 
shrewd  old  soldier  and  gentleman.  As  Legardeur  regarded 
all  men  according  to  their  quality,  he  treated  Washington  to 

1-9 


io8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

unlimited  politeness  and  the  Half -King  to  unlimited  rum. 
After  three  days  of  discussion  with  Washington,  who  like 
a  true  American  diplomatist,  did  not  know  a  word  of  French, 
and  of  evasion  of  the  Half-King  except  when  a  bottle  stood 
between  him  and  the  declaration  of  his  ultimatum,  Legar- 
deur  gave  Washington  a  sealed  reply  to  Governor  Din- 
widdie's  letter  and  the  young  envoy  started  for  home, 
which  destination  he  reached  after  a  journey  that  was 
extremely  uncomfortable  and  perilous. 

Legardeur's  answer,  when  opened,  proved  to  be  as 
modest,  courteous,  high-toned,  and  evasive  as  any  that  an 
old  Frenchman  ever  penned.  He  would  transmit  Governor 
Dinwiddie's  letter  to  his  superior,  the  Marquis  du  Quesne, 
who  was  more  competent  than  himself  to  determine  what 
should  -  be  done  about  the  disagreement  as  to  territorial 
rights  in  the  Ohio  Valley.  As  for  himself,  he  was  simply  a 
soldier  under  orders,  and  as  he  had  not  been  instructed  to 
regard  any  commands  that  might  reach  him  from  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  he  was  compelled  to  decline  the  intimation 
that  he  should  retire. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  18. 

A  Week  from  Washington's  Diary 

[Dec.]  23d  [1753]  When  I  got  Things  ready  to  set-off, 
I  sent  for  the  Half-King,  to  know  whether  he  intended  to 
go  with  us,  or  by  Water.  He  told  me  that  White-Thunder 
had  hurt  himself  much,  and  was  sick  and  unable  to  walk; 
therefore  he  was  obliged  to  carry  him  down  in  a  Canoe. 
As  I  found  he  intended  to  stay  here  a  Day  or  two,  and  knew 
that  Monsieur  Joncaire  would  employ  every  Scheme  to  set 
him  against  the  English  as  he  had  before  done;  I  told  him 
I  hoped  he  would  guard  against  his  Flattery,  and  let  no 
fine  Speeches  influence  him  in  their  Favour.  He  desired 
I  might  not  be  concerned,  for  he  knew  the  French  too  well, 
for  any  Thing  to  engage  him  in  their  Behalf.  .  . 

Our  Horses  were  now  so  weak  and  feeble,  and  the 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      109 

Baggage  so  heavy  (as  we  were  obliged  to  provide  all  the 
Necessaries  which  the  Journey  would  require)  that  we 
doubted  much  their  performing  it;  therefore  myself  and 
others  (except  the  Drivers  who  were  obliged  to  ride)  gave 
up  our  Horses  for  Packs,  to  assist  along  with  the  Baggage. 
I  put  myself  in  an  Indian  walking  Dress,  and  continued  with 
them  three  Days,  till  I  saw  there  was  no  Probability  of  their 
getting  home  in  any  reasonable  Time.  The  Horses  grew 
less  able  to  travel  every  Day ;  the  Cold  increased  very  fast ; 
and  the  Roads  were  becoming  much  worse  by  a  deep  Snow, 
continually  freezing :  Therefore  as  I  was  uneasy  to  get  back, 
to  make  a  Report  of  my  Proceedings  to  his  Honour  the 
Governor,  I  determined  to  prosecute  my  Journey  the 
nearest  Way  through  the  Woods,  on  Foot. 

Accordingly  I  left  Mr.  Vanbraam  in  Charge  of  our 
Baggage;  with  Money  and  Directions,  to  provide  Neces- 
saries from  Place  to  Place  for  themselves  and  Horses,  and 
to  make  the  most  convenient  Di(s)patch  in  Travelling. 

I  took  my  necessary  Papers;  pulled  off  my  Cloaths; 
and  tied  myself  up  in  a  Match  Coat.  Then  with  Gun  in 
Hand  and  Pack  at  my  Back,  in  which  were  my  Papers  and 
Provisions,  I  set  out  with  Mr.  Gist,  fitted  in  the  same  Man- 
ner on  Wednesday  the  26th.  The  Day  following,  just  after 
we  had  passed  a  place  called  the  Murdering-Town  (where 
we  intended  to  quit  the  Path,  and  steer  across  the  Country 
for  Shannapins  Town)  we  fell  in  with  a  Party  of  French. 
Indians,  who  had  lain  in  Wait  for  us.  One  of  them  fired 
at  Mr.  Gist  or  me,  not  1 5  Steps  off,  but  fortunately  missed. 
We  took  this  Fellow  into  Custody,  and  kept  him  till  9 
o'Clock  at  Night :  Then  let  him  go,  and  walked  all  the  remain- 
ing Part  of  the  Night  without  making  any  Stop ;  that  we 
might  get  the  Start,  so  far,  as  to  be  out  of  the  Reach  of 
their  Pursuit  the  next  Day,  since  we  were  well  assured  they 
would  follow  our  Tract  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  The  next 
Day  we  continued  travelling  till  quite  dark,  and  got  to  the 
River  about  two  Miles  above  Shannapins.  We  expected 


no  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

to  have  found  the  River  frozen,  but  it  was  not,  only  about 
50  Yards  from  each  Shore:  The  Ice  I  suppose  had  broken 
up  above,  for  it  was  driving  in  vast  Quantities. 

There  was  no  Way  for  getting  over  but  on  a  Raft: 
Which  we  set  about,  with  but  one  poor  Hatchet,  and  finished 
just  after  Sun-setting.  This  was  a  whole  Day's  Work:  we 
next  got  it  launched,  and  went  on  Board  of  it:  Then  set- 
off.  But  before  we  were  Half  Way  over,  we  were  jammed 
in  the  Ice,  in  such  a  manner  that  we  expected  every  Moment 
our  Raft  to  sink,  and  ourselves  to  perish.  I  put-out  my 
setting  Pole  to  try  to  stop  the  Raft,  that  the  Ice  might  pass 
by ;  when  the  Rapidity  of  the  Stream  threw  it  with  so  much 
Violence  against  the  Pole,  that  it  j irked  me  out  into  ten 
Feet  Water:  But  I  fortunately  saved  myself  by  catching 
hold  of  one  of  the  Raft  Logs.  Notwithstanding  all  our 
efforts  we  could  not  get  the  Raft  to  either  Shore ;  but  were 
obliged,  as  we  were  near  an  Island,  to  quit  our  Raft  and 
make  to  it. 

The  Cold  was  so  extremely  severe,  that  Mr.  Gist  had 
all  his  Fingers,  and  some  of  his  Toes  frozen ;  and  the  Water 
was  shut  up  so  hard,  that  we  found  no  Difficulty  in  getting 
off  the  Island,  on  the  Ice,  in  the  Morning,  and  went  to  Mr. 
Frazier's.  We  met  here  with  20  Warriors  who  were  going 
Southward  to  War:  But  coming  to  a  place  upon  the  Head 
of  the  great  Kunnaway,  where  they  found  seven  People 
killed  and  scalped  (all  but  one  Woman  with  very  light  Hair) 
they  turned  about  and  ran  back  for  fear  the  Inhabitants 
.  should  rise  and  take  them  as  the  Authors  of  the  Murder. 

As  we  intended  to  take  Horses  here,  and  it  required 
some  Time  to  find  them,  I  went  up  about  three  Miles  to  the 
Mouth  of  Yaughyaughgane  to  visit  Queen  Alliquippa,  who 
had  expressed  great  Concern  that  we  passed  her  in  going 
to  the  Fort.  I  made  her  a  present  of  a  Matchcoat  and  a 
.Bottle  of  Rum;  which  latter  was  thought  much  the  best 
Present  of  the  two. 

The  Journal  of  Major  George  Washington,  sent  by  the  Hon.  Robert  Dinwiddie,  Esq.  \ 
His  Majesty's  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  Virginia,  to  the 
Commandant  of  the  French  Forces  on  Ohio,  pp.  35  to  39. 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      in 


The  French  Commandant's  Reply 

SIR: — As  I  have  the  Honour  of  commanding  here  in 
Chief,  Mr.  Washington  delivered  me  the  letter  which  you 
wrote  to  the  Commandant  of  the  French  Troops. 

I  should  have  been  glad  that  you  had  given  him  Orders, 
or  that  he  had  been  inclined  to  proceed  to  Canada,  to  see 
our  General ;  to  whom  it  better  belongs  than  to  me  to  set- 
forth  the  Evidence  and  Reality  of  the  Rights  of  the  King, 
my  Master,  upon  the  Lands  situated  along  the  River  Ohio, 
and  to  contest  the  Pretensions  of  the  King  of  Great-Britain 
thereto. 

I  shall  transmit  your  Letter  to  the  Marquis  Du  Quesne. 
His  Answer  will  be  a  Law  to  me ;  and  if  he  shall  order  me  to 
communicate  it  to  you,  Sir,  you  may  be  assured  I  shall  not 
fail  to  dispatch  it  to  you  forthwith. 

As  to  the  Summons  you  send  me  to  retire,  I  do  not 
think  myself  obliged  to  obey  it.  Whatever  may  be  your 
Instructions,  I  am  here  by  Virtue  of  the  Orders  of  my 
General ;  and  I  intreat  you,  Sir,  not  to  doubt  one  Moment, 
but  that  I  am  determined  to  conform  myself  to  them  with 
all  Exactness  and  Resolution  which  can  be  expected  from 
the  best  Officer. 

I  do  not  know  that  in  the  Progress  of  this  Campaign  any 
Thing  has  passed  which  can  be  reputed  an  Act  of  Hostil- 
ity, or  that  is  contrary  to  the  Treaties  which  subsist  between 
the  two  Crowns;  the  Continuation  whereof  as  much  inter- 
ests, and  is  as  pleasing  to  us,  as  the  English.  Had  you  been 
pleased,  Sir,  to  have  descended  to  particularize  ths  Facts 
which  occasioned  your  Complaint,  I  should  have  had  the 
Honour  of  answering  you  in  the  fullest,  and,  I  am  persuaded, 
most  satisfactory  Manner. 

I  made  it  my  particular  Care  to  receive  Mr.  Washing- 
ton, with  a  Distinction  suitable  to  your  Dignity,  as  well  as 
his  own  Quality  and  great  Merit.  I  flatter  myself  that  he 
will  do  me  this  Justice  before  you,  Sir;  and  that  he  will 


ii2  THE  STORY -LIFE  01'   WASHINGTON 

signify  to  you  in  the  Manner  I  do  myself,  the  profound 
Respect  with  which  I  am, 

SIR, 
Your  most  humble,   and 

most    obedient    Servant, 

LEGARDEUR  DE    ST.     PIERRE. 

From  the  Fort  stir  La  Riviere  au  Boeuf, 
the  1 5th  of  December  1753. 

Translation  of  a  Letter  from  M.  Legardeur  de  St.  Pierre,  a  Principal  French  Officer,  in 
Answer  to  the  Governor's  Letter.     Appended  to  Washington's  Journal,  p.  44. 

A  Man  of  Action  and  Real  Silence 

It  is  worth  while  to  pause  over  this  expedition  a  moment 
and  to  consider  attentively  this  journal  which  recounts  it, 
for  there  are  very  few  incidents  or  documents  which  tell  us 
more  of  Washington.  He  was  not  yet  twenty-two  when  he 
faced  this  first  grave  responsibility,  and  he  did  his  work 
absolutely  well.  Cool  courage,  of  course,  he  showed,  but 
also  patience  and  wisdom  in  handling  the  Indians,  a  clear 
sense  that  the  crafty  and  well-trained  French  men  could 
not  blind,  and  a  strong  faculty  for  dealing  with  men,  always 
a  rare  and  precious  gift.  As  in  the  little  Barbadoes  diary 
so  also  in  this  journal,  we  see,  and  far  more  strongly,  the 
penetration  and  perception  that  nothing  could  escape, 
and  which  .set  down  all  things  essential  and  let  the  "  huddling 
silver,  little  worth, "  go  by.  The  clearness,  terseness,  and 
entire  sufficiency  of  ^ne  narrative  are  obvious  and  lie  on  the 
surface ;  but  we  find  also  another  quality  of  the  man  which 
is  one  of  the  most  marked  features  in  his  character,  and  one 
which  we  must  dwell  upon  again  and  again,  as  we  follow 
the  story  of  his  life.  Here  it  is  that  we  learn  directly  for  the 
first  time  that  Washington  was  a  profoundly  silent  man. 
The  gospel  of  silence  has  been  preached  in  these  latter  days 
by  Carlyle,  with  the  fervor  of  a  seer  and  prophet,  and  the 
world  owes  him  a  debt  for  the  historical  discredit  which 
he  has  brought  upon  the  man  of  words  as  compared  with  the 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      113 

man  of  deeds.  Carlyle  brushed  Washington  aside  as  "a 
bloodless  Cromwell,"  a  phrase  to  which  we  must  revert 
later,  on  other  grounds,  and,  as  has  already  been  said,  failed 
utterly  to  see  that  he  was  the  most  supremely  silent  of  the 
great  men  of  action  that  the  world  can  show.  Like  Crom- 
well and  Frederick,  Washington  wrote  countless  letters,  made 
many  speeches,  and  was  agreeable  in  coversation.  But 
this  was  all  in  the  way  of  business,  and  a  man  may  be  pro- 
foundly silent  and  yet  talk  a  great  deal.  Silence  in  the 
fine  and  true  sense  is  neither  mere  holding  of  the  tongue  nor 
an  incapacity  of  expression.  The  greatly  silent  man  is  he 
who  is  not  given  to  words  for  their  own  sake,  and  who  never 
talks  about  himself.  Both  Cromwell,  greatest  of  English- 
men, and  the  great  Frederick,  Carlyle's  especial  heroes, 
were  fond  of  talking  of  themselves.  So  in  still  larger  measure 
was  Napoleon  and  many  others  of  less  importance.  But 
Washington  differs  from  them  all.  He  had  abundant  power 
of  words,  and  could  use  them  with  much  force  and  point 
when  he  was  so  minded,  but  he  never  used  them  needlessly 
or  to  hide  his  meaning,  and  he  never  talked  about  himself. 
Hence  the  inestimable  difficulty  of  knowing  him.  A  brief 
sentence  here  and  there,  a  rare  gleam  of  light  across  the  page 
of  a  letter,  is  all  that  we  can  find.  The  rest  is  silence.  He 
did  as  great  work  as  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  man,  he  wrote 
volumes  of  correspondence,  he  talked  with  innumerable 
men  and  women,  and  of  himself  he  said  nothing.  Here 
in  this  youthful  journal  we  have  a  narrative  of  wild  adven- 
ture, wily  diplomacy,  and  personal  peril,  impossible  of  con- 
densation, and  yet  not  a  word  of  the  writer's  thoughts  or 
feelings.  All  that  was  done  or  said  important  to  the  busi- 
ness in  hand  was  set  down,  and  nothing  was  overlooked, 
but  that  is  all.  The  work  was  done,  and  we  know  how  it 
was  done,  but  the  man  is  silent  as  to  all  else.  Here,  indeed, 
is  the  man  of  action  and  of  real  silence,  a  character  to  be 
admired  and  wondered  at  in  these  or  any  other  days. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  66. 


ii4  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

What  Governor  Dinwiddie  Did 

This  reply  caused  quite  a  hubbub  in  Virginia,  for  it  was 
received  in  midwinter,  when  neither  planting,  buying,  nor 
selling  could  be  done  to  any  extent,  and  every  one  had  plenty 
of  time  for  consideration  of  any  new  topic.  Governor 
Dinwiddie  promptly  ordered  the  recruiting  of  two  companies, 
one  of  which,  commanded  by  Captain  Trent,  who  had  been 
west  before,  was  hurried  off  with  instructions  to  complete 
a  fort  which  the  Ohio  company  had  begun  on  the  Ohio 
River:  the  other  was  to  be  raised  by  Washington,  in  and 
around  Alexandria.  But  the  Governor  was  suddenly 
hampered  by  the  House  of  Burgesses,  which  he  called  into 
session  that  it  might  vote  him  money  for  the  expenses  of 
his  movements.  Instead  of  acting  like  a  lot  of  dutiful  time- 
servers,  the  Burgesses  had  the  impudence  to  discuss  the 
wisdom  of  the  Governor's  operations,  and  some  of  them  were 
so  unpatriotically  logical  as  to  read  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht 
just  as  it  was  written,  and  to  doubt  whether,  under  the 
terms  of  the  said  treaty,  the  King  and  the  colonies  had  any 
rights  whatever  in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Countrymen  who  have 
time  in  which  to  think  and  brains  enough  to  think  with, 
always  did  play  the  mischief  with  politicians'  plans,  as  Din- 
widdie practically  told  the  Burgesses  when  he  accused  them 
of  a  republican  way  of  thinking.  The  most  that  the 
Governor  could  do  was  to  obtain  a  grant  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  and  protecting 
settlers  in  the , Mississippi  Valley:  even  this  he  could  not 
spend  without  consultation  with  a  committee  appointed  for 
the  purpose.  This  committee,  however,  Dinwiddie  wrapped 
around  his  finger  so  successfully,  that  he  organized  a 
regiment  of  six  companies,  each  containing  fifty  men. 
Washington  made  a  bad  recruiting  officer,  probably  because 
he  could  not  tolerate  the  shiftless  and  disreputable  fellows 
who  were  almost  the  only  men  who  cared  to  go  into  the 
wilderness.  His  qualifications  for  the  colonelcy,  however, 


A  DIFFICULT  AND  DANGEROUS  MISSION      115 

were  absolute.  He  knew  the  country,  the  nature,  location, 
and  strength  of  the  enemy,  the  Indians  and  what  was  to  be 
expected  of  them ;  he  was  honest,  able,  untiring,  brave  and 
prudent.  He  was  destitute  of  conceit,  but  this  quality  is 
not  absolutely  essential  to  a  colonel,  although  most  new 
bearers  of  that  rank  are  heavily  charged  with  it.  Din- 
widdie  offered  Washington  the  command,  and  the  young  man 
declined  it,  being  the  first  and  last  American  who  ever  did 
such  a  thing.  The  colonelcy  of  the  regiment  was  intrusted 
to  an  estimable  English  gentleman  named  Fry,  Washington 
being  second  in  rank.  Colonel  Fry,  with  commendable 
thoughtfulness  and  patriotism,  proceeded  to  die  before  long, 
and  the  sole  command  of  the  regiment  and  the  expedition 
devolved  upon  Washington. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  19. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  OPENING  OF  His  MILITARY  CAREER 
Beginning  of  the  Journal  of  1754 

On  the  3ist  of  March  I  received  from  his  Honor 
(Governor  Dinwiddie)  a  Lieutenant  Colonel's  Commission 
of  the  Virginia  Regiment,  whereof  Joshua  Fry,  Esq.,  was 
Colonel,  dated  the  15th  with  Orders  to  take  the  troops, 
which  were  at  the  time  quartered  at  Alexandria,  under  my 
command  and  to  march  with  them  towards  the  Ohio, 
there  to  help  Captain  Trent  to  build  Forts  and  to  defend 
the  possessions  of  his  Majesty  against  the  attempts  and 
hostilities  of  the  French. 

April  the  2nd.  Every  Thing  being  ready,  we  began 
our  march  according  to  our  Orders,  the  2nd  of  April  with 
two  Companies  of  Foot,  commanded  by  Captain  Peter  Hog 
and  Lieutenant  Jacob  Van  Braam,  five  subalterns,  two 
Sergeants,  six  Corporals,  one  Drummer,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  Soldiers,  one  Surgeon,  one  Swedish  Gentleman, 
who  was  a  volunteer,  two  wagons  guarded  by  one  Lieutenant, 
Sergeant,  Corporal  and  twenty-five  Soldiers. 

We  left  Alexandria  on  Tuesday  Noon  and  pitched  our 
tents  about  four  miles  from  Cameron  having  marched  six 
miles. 

(From  the  3rd  of  April  to  the  iQth  of  said  month  this 
Journal  only  contains  the  march  of  the  troops,  and  how 
they  were  joined  by  a  detachment  which  was  brought  by 
Captain  Stevens.) 

April  i  gth.  Met  an  Express  who  had  letters  from 
Captain  Trent  at  the  Ohio,  demanding  a  reinforcement  with 
all  speed,  as  he  hourly  expected  a  body  of  eight  hundred 
French.  I  tarried  at  Job  PearsalVs  for  the  arrival  of  the 

(116) 


troops  when  they  came  the  next  day.  When  I  received 
the  above  Express,  I  dispatched  a  Courier  to  Colonel  Fry, 
to  give  him  notice  of  it. 

April  2oth  Came  down  to  Colonel  Cresap's  to  order 
the  Detachment,  and  on  my  Route,  had  notice  that  the 
Fort  was  taken  by  the  French.  That  news  was  confirmed 
by  Mr  Ward,  the  Ensign  of  Captain  Trent,  who  had  been 
obliged  to  surrender  to  a  Body  of  one  thousand  French  and 
upwards,  under  the  Command  of  Captain  Contrecceur,  who 
was  come  from  Venango  Presque  Isle  with  sixty  bateaux, 
and  three  hundred  canoes,  and  who  having  planted  eighteen 
pieces  of  Cannon  against  the  Fort,  afterwards  had  sent  him 
a  Summons  to  withdraw.  Mr  Ward  also  informed  me  that 
the  Indians  kept  steadfastly  attached  to  our  Interest. 
He  brought  two  young  Indian  Men  with  him,  who  were 
Mingoes,  that  they  might  have  the  Satisfaction  to  see  that 
we  were  marching  with  our  troops  to  their  succor. 

Journal  of  Colonel  George  Washington,  1764.     Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D.. 
pp.  7  to  31. 

The  Half-King's  Speech  and  Belts 

He  [Ensign  Ward]  also  delivered  me  the  following 
speech  which  the  Half  King  sent  to  me. 

FORT  ON  OHIO,  April  18,  1754. 

A  speech  from  the  Half-King,  Scruneyattha,  and  belt 
of  wampum,  for  the  Governors  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania. 

My  Brethren  the  English.  The  Bearer  will  let  you 
understand  in  what  manner  the  French  have  treated  us. 
We  waited  a  long  time,  thinking  they  would  come  and 
attack  us ;  we  now  see  how  they  have  a  mind  to  use  us. 

We  are  now  ready  to  fall  upon  them,  waiting  only  for 
your  succour.  Have  good  courage,  and  come  as  soon  as 
possible;  you  will  find  us  as  ready  to  encounter  with  them  as 
you  are  yourselves. 

We  have  sent  those  two  young  men  to  see  if  you  are 


n8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


ready  to  come,  and  if  so  they  are  to  return  to  us  to  let  us 
know  where  you  are,  that  we  may  come  and  join  you.  We 
should  be  glad  if  the  troops  belonging  to  the  two  Provinces 
could  meet  together  at  the  Fort  which  is  in  the  way.  If 
you  do  not  come  to  our  assistance  now,  we  are  entirely 
undone,  and  imagine  we  shall  never  meet  again.  I  speak 
with  a  heart  full  of  grief. 

A  Belt  of  Wampum. 
The  Half-King  directed  to  me  the  following  speech. 

"  I  am  ready,  if  you  think  it  proper,  to  go  to  both  the 
Governors,  with  these  two  young  men,  for  I  have  now  no 
more  dependence .  on  those  who  have  been  gone  so  long, 
without  returning  or  sending  any  message. " 

A  Belt  of  Wampum. 

Speeches  from  Memoir  Ccmtenant  le  Precis  des  Fails,  etc.,  translated  and  printed  by 
Gaine,  New  York,  1757,  p.  65. 

A  Council  of  War 

April  23rd  A  Council  of  War  held  at  Will's  Creek  in 
order  to  consult  upon  what  must  be  done  on  account  of  the 
news  brought  by  Mr  Ward. 

The  News  brought  by  Ensign  Ward  having  been 
examined  into,  as  also  the  summons  sent  by  Captain 
Contreccp-ur  Commander  of  the  French  troops  and  the 
•  speeches  of  the  Half -King,  and  of  the  other  chiefs  of  the 
Six-Nations;  it  appears,  that  Mr  Ward,  was  forced  to 
surrender  the  said  Fort,  the  iyth  of  this  instant  to  the 
French,  who  were  above  one  thousand  strong  and  had 
eighteen  artillery  pieces,  some  of  which  were  nine  pounders 
and  also  that  the  detachment  of  the  Virginia  regiment, 
amounting  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  by  Colonel  Wash- 
ington had  orders  to  reinforce  the  Company  of  Captain 
Trent,  and  that  the  aforesaid  Garrison  consisted  only  of 
thirty-three  effective  men. 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     119 

It  was  thought  a  thing  impracticable  to  march  towards 
the  Fort  without  sufficient  strength;  however,  being 
strongly  invited  by  the  Indians,  and  particularly  by  the 
speeches  of  the  Half-King,  the  president  put  the  question 
to  vote  whether  we  should  not  advance  as  far  as  Red-Stone 
Creek  on  Monongahela,  about  thirty-seven  miles  on  this 
side  of  the  fort,  and  there  erect  a  fortification,  clearing  a 
road  broad  enough  to  pass  with  all  our  artillery  and  our 
baggage  and  there  to  wait  for  fresh  Orders. 

Journal  of  Colonel  George  Washington,  1754.    Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D., 
pp.  39  to  42. 

Washington's  Speech  and  Belt  to  the  Half-King  and  the  Reply 

May  1 9th  I  despatched  the  young  Indian  who  had 
returned  [from  Governor  Dinwiddie]  with  Mr  Ward,  to 
the  Half -King,  with  the  following  speech:  • 

TO  THE  HALF-KING, 

My  Brethren, 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure,  to  learn  that  you  are  march- 
ing to  assist  me  with  your  counsels,  be  of  good  courage,  my 
brethren,  and  march  vigorously  towards  your  brethren  the 
English;  for  fresh  forces  will  soon  join  them,  who  will 
protect  you  against  your  treacherous  enemy  the  French. 
I  must  send  my  friends  to  you,  that  they  may  acquaint 
you  with  an  agreeable  speech  which  the  Governor  of  Virginia 
has  sent  to  you.  He  is  very  sorry  for  the  bad  usage  you 
have  received.  The  swollen  streams  do  not  permit  us  to 
come  to  you  quickly,  for  that  reason  I  have  sent  this  young 
man  to  invite  you  to  come  and  meet  us:  he  can  tell  you 
many  things  that  he  has  'seen  in  Virginia,  and  also  how 
well  he  was  received  by  the  most  prominent  men,  they  did 
not  treat  him  as  the  French  do  your  people  who  go  to  their 
Fort;  they  refuse  them  provisions;, this  man  has  had 
given  him  all  that  his  heart  could  wish ;  for  the  confirmation 
of  this,  I  here  give  you  a  Belt  of  Wampum. 


120 


THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


May  24th  This  morning  an  Indian  arrived  in  com- 
pany with  the  one  whom  I  had  sent  to  the  Half-King  and 
brought  me  the  following  letter  from  him. 

To  any  of  his  Majesty's  officers  whom  this  May  Concern. 

As  'tis  reported  that  the  French  army  is  set  out  to  meet 
M.  George  Washington,  I  exhort  you  my  brethren,  to 
guard"  against  them,  for  they  intend  to  fall  on  the  first 
English  they  meet.  They  have  been  on  their  march  these 

o  ./  * 

two  days,  the  Half  King  and  the  other  chiefs  will  join  you 
within  five  days,  to  hold  a  council,  though  we  know  not  the 
number  we  shall  be.  I  shall  say  no  more;  but  remember 
me  to  my  brethren  the  English. 

[Signed]  THE  HALF-KING. 

Journal  of  Colonel  George  Washington,  1754.     Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D. 
pp.  66  to  71. 

Captain  Trent  Loses  the  Strategic  Point 

Like  the  good  conservative  that  he  was,  Washington 
respected  precedents  established  by  new  commanders.  As 
soon  as  he  was  fairly  on  the  road,  he  wrote  back  for  more 
men  and  artillery;  soon  after  this  the  contrast  between 
soft  anticipation  and  hard  reality  caused  him  to  become 
discouraged  and  to  write  letters  expressing  his  feelings.  .  . 
•  .....  Captain  Trent,  who  had  gone  on  in  advance  to  com- 
plete the  fort  (at  the  junction  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monon- 
gahela,  where  Pittsburgh  now  stands),  had  found  some 
excuse  for  being  many  miles  in  the  rear,  leaving  fifty  men 
at  work  under  an  ensign,  when  one  day  a  thousand  French- 
men indulged  in  a  canoe  cruise  down  the  Allegheny  River, 
liked  what  there  was  of  the  fort,  and  gave  the  Virginians 
their  choice  between  marching  out  and  being  driven  out. 
The  ensign  in  command  judiciously  accepted  the  pleasanter 
method,  for  defense  was  impossible,  and  started  eastward 
after  enjoying  a  good  supper  which  Commander  Contrecceur, 
like  a  jolly  good  Frenchman,  tendered  him. 

Washington  did  not,   in  his  letters,   confess  to  any 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     121 

unusual  outbreak  of  profanity  on  learning  of  this  disarrange- 
ment of  his  plans;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  even 
at  that  early  period  of  his  life  he  was  not  given  to  telling 
everything  he  knew ;  besides,  being  a  prudent  man,  he  may 
not  have  sworn  at  all,  for  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  his 
stock  of  expletives  would  have  been  equal  to  the  occasion. 
One  thing  is  certain,  he  did  not  make  the  failure  of  Trent's 
party  an  excuse  for  falling  back  to  a  civilized  country  and 
abusing  the  Government;  on  the  contrary,  he  obeyed  the 
conclusions  of  a  council  of  war  and  started  for  the  mouth 
of  Red  Stone  Creek,  on  the  Monongahela,  down  which 
river  he  might  drop  and  give  the  French  tit  for  tat  at  Trent's 
fort,  which  was  now  being  enlarged  and  completed  under 
the  name  of  Fort  Duquesne.  With  characteristic  American 
assurance,  which  often  is  greatest  in  the  most  modest 
natures,  he  wrote  in  his  own  name,  for  aid,  to  the  Governors 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  although  those  officials, 
like  most  others  in  the  colonies,  had  paid  no  attention  to  a 
similar  appeal  by  the  Virginian  governor. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  24. 

"I  Would  Prefer  the  Toil  of  a  Daily  Laborer" 

With  all  this  inertia  and  stupidity  Washington  was 
called  to  cope,  and  he  rebelled  against  it  in  a  vigorous 
fashion.  Leaving  Colonel  Fry  to  follow  with  the  main 
body  of  troops,  Washington  set  out  on  April  2,  1754,  with 
two  companies  from  Alexandria,  where  he  had  been  recruit- 
ing amidst  most  irritating  difficulties.  He  reached  Wills' 
Creek  three  weeks  later;  and  then  his  real  troubles  began. 
Captain  Trent,  the  timid  and  halting  envoy,  who  had  failed 
to  reach  the  French,  had  been  sent  out  by  the  wise  authori- 
ties to  build  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the  Allegheny  and 
Monongahela,  on  the  admirable  site  selected  by  the  keen 
eye  of  Washington.  There  Trent  left  his  men  and  returned 
to  Wills'  Creek,  where  Washington  found  him,  but  without 
the  pack-horses  that  he  had  promised  to  provide.  Presently 


122  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

news  came  that  the  French  in  overwhelming  numbers  had 
swept  down  upon  Trent's  little  party,  captured  their  fort, 
and  sent  them  packing  back  to  Virginia.  Washington  took 
this  to  be  war,  and  determined  at  once  to  march  against 
the  enemy.  Having  impressed  from  the  inhabitants,  who 
were  not  bubbling  over  with  patriotism,  some  horses  and 
wagons,  he  set  out  on  his  toilsome  march  across  the  moun- 
tains. 

It  was  a  wild  and  desolate  region,  and  progress  was 
extremely  slow.  By  May  9th  he  was  at  the  Little  Meadows, 
twenty  miles  from  his  starting-place;  by  the  i8th  at  the 
Youghiogany  River,  which  he  explored  and  found  unnavi- 
gable.  He  was  therefore  forced  to  take  up  his  weary 
march  again  for  the  Monongahela,  and  by  the  2;th  he  was 
at  the  Great  Meadows,  a  few  miles  further  on.  The  extreme 
danger  of  his  position  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to 
him,  but  he  was  harassed  and  angered  by  the  conduct  of 
the  assembly.  He  wrote  to  Governor  Dinwiddie  that  he 
had  no  idea  of  giving  up  his  commission.  "  But, "  he  con- 
tinued, "let  me  serve  voluntarily;  then  I  will,  with  the 
greatest  pleasure  in  life,  devote -my  services  to  the  expedi- 
tion, without  any  other  reward  than  the  satisfaction  of 
serving  my  country;  but  to  be  slaving  dangerously  for  the 
shadow  of  pay,  through  woods,  rocks,  mountains, — I  would 
rather  prefer  the  great  toil  of  a  daily  laborer,  and  dig  for  a 
maintenance,  provided  I  were  reduced  to  the  necessity, 
than  serve  upon  such  ignoble  terms;  for  I  really  do  not 
see  why  the  lives  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  in  Virginia 
should  be  of  less  value  than  those  in  other  parts  of  his 
American  dominions,  especially  when  it  is  well  known  that 
we  must  undergo  double  their  hardship."  Here  we  have 
a  high-spirited,  high-tempered  young  gentleman,  with  a 
contempt  for  shams  that  it  is  pleasant  to  see,  and  evidently 
endowed  also  with  a  fine  taste  for  fighting  and  not  too 
much  patience. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  69. 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     123 

The  March  to  Great  Meadows 

In  the  week  that  succeeded  the  departure  from  Alex- 
andria, Major  Satterthwaite  watched  the  young  commander 
with  interest  and  approval  which  rapidly  grew  into  respect. 
Harassed  by  every  care  that  can  beset  the  leader  of  lazy, 
unwilling  recruits,  ill  armed  and  ill  provisioned,  on  an 
expedition  over  difficult  country,  disappointed  of  promised 
reinforcements  of  men,  horses,  and  wagons,  George  was 
everywhere  at  once,  kept  his  temper  and,  what  was  more 
difficult,  kept  his  men,  for  these  were  openly  grumbling  at 
their  hardships  and  privations,  and,  while  marching  on 
under  his  compelling  authority,  cast  as  it  were  an  eye  over 
their  shoulders  to  mark  a  safe  method  of  escape  from  his 
inconvenient  vigilance,  back  to  their  homes.  He  had  a 
moment  of  furious  anger  when,  at  Wills'  Creek,  he  learned 
that  the  fort  he  had  asked  the  government  to  build,  on  the 
important  point  of  the  junction  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monon- 
gahela  rivers,  had  been  appropriated  by  the  French,  during 
the  unauthorized  absence  of  its  commander,  who,  appar- 
ently weary  of  his  duties,  had  left  it  for  a  jaunt  to  Wills' 
Creek.  The  insult  and  the  necessity  of  resenting  it  precipi- 
tated matters.  George  felt  that  he  must  act  at  once.  He 
and  his  little  force  set  out  to  find  the  French,  without 
waiting  for  the  reinforcements,  of  whose  approach  there 
was  no  sign.  Day  after  day  George  marched  on,  the  Major 
at  his  side,  seeking  for  the  enemy  and  praying  inwardly 
that  he  might  be  met  in  some  spot  fairly  fit  for  the  encounter. 
Nearly  a  month  passed  before  he  took  up  his  position  at 
Great  Meadows,  hoping  to  draw  the  French  to  fight  him  on 
his  own  ground.  They  hovered  near,  scouting  parties 
would  appear  and  vanish  again ;  then  friendly  Indians 
brought  news  of  a  great  army  on  the  march  towards  the 
place. 

"This  looks  bad,"  said  the  Major,  "It  seems  to  me, 
George,  that  the  heart  may  fail  to  be  recovered  this  time. 
We  are  too  few  to  have  a  chance  in  open  fight. " 

1-10 


I24  THE  STORY-LJFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"There  is  always  a  chance — where  'tis  English  against 
French,"  replied  the  young  man  coolly;  "but  I  have  made 
up  my  mind  to  add  another  in  my  favour.  I  will  surprise 
them  if  I  can.  We  have  good  scouts  among  our  Indians. " 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Fraser,  p.  412- 

His  First  Victory 

With  increasing  caution  they  finally  approached  a 
hollow  in  the  hills  whence  a  light  spiral  of  smoke  was  rising. 
The  French  were  but  careless  adversaries  after  all.  They 
had  evidently  passed  over  the  very  ridge  where  the  attacking 
party  now  halted  to  rest  for  a  few  minutes.  Branches  had 
been  hacked  away,  and  a  few  saplings  felled  to  clear  a  road. 
A  boot,  split  down  the  back,  had  been  tossed  into  the  grass 
close  to  them. 

"Now,  then,"  said  George,  "are  you  ready?  The 
fellows  are  but  a  few  hundred  yards  off. ' '  Indeed,  sounds 
of  talk  and  a  fragment  of  song  met  their  ears  as  he  ceased 
speaking. 

"Le  beau  passeur  du  gue,  la  la! 
Le  beau  passeur  du  gue\" 

It  came  quavering  along,  followed  by  a  burst  of  laughter. 
The  next  sound  was  a  cry,  for  the  Americans  were  on  the 
negligently  guarded  camp,  and  in  an  instant  the  hills  rang 
to  the  cracking  of  the  shots.  An  officer  rolled  over  on  his 
face  among  the  ashes  of  the  fire,  a  man  fell  here,  another 
there;  the  fighting  was  desperate  for  an  instant — in  the 
next  it  had  ceased.  Jumonville,  the  officer  in  command, 
lay  dead  at  George's  feet,  half  a  score  of  men  had  fallen 
motionless  in  the  grass;  the  rest  surrendered.  There  had 
been  under  forty  in  all,  and  but  one  got  away  to  tell  the  tale. 

George  stood  silent  for  a  moment,  all  elation  gone.  It 
had  been  so  small,  so  easy,  and  the  little  bit  of  fighting 
seemed  scarce  an  expuse  for  the  death  of  an  officer  and  ten 
good  men.  He  had  never  killed  before,  and  he  liked  it  not. 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     125 

All  remembrance  of  what  they  would  have  done  to  him 
was  gone  for  the  moment,  and  he  stood,  staring  down  at 
Jumonville's  corpse,  with  a  strange  sense  of  dissatisfaction. 
Van  Braam  took  him  by  the  arm. 

"We  must  search  this,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  dead 
captain.  "There  may  be  a  dozen  of  his  fellows  out  on  the 
like  quest.  Belike  he  carries  papers."  He  did,  papers 
which  fully  justified  .  .  .  Colonel  Washington's 
attack.  George,  recalled  to  his  judgment  at  sight  of  these, 
was  glad  of  what  he  had  done.  Jumonville  and  his  com- 
rades were  buried  as  decently  as  the  circumstances  per- 
mitted, and  the  prisoners  were  marched  back  to  the  camp 
at  Great  Meadows.  George  wrote  with  some  youthful 
elation  about  this,  his  first  encounter.  When  the  news 
had  had  time  to  travel,  Colonel  Washington  was  called  a 
great  man  in  Virginia,  a  bombastic  hero  in  London,  and  a 
villainous  murdering  ruffian  in  France.  He  had  won  his 
first  victory. 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hugh  Fraser,  p.  414. 

Washington's  Account  of  the  Attack  near  Great  Meadows  and 
His  Defense  of  It 

May  27th.  Mr.  Gist  arrived  early  in  the  morning, 
who  told  us  that  Mr.  la  Force,  with  fifty  men  whose  tracks  he 
had  seen  five  miles  from  here,  had  been  at  his  plantation 
the  day  before,  towards  noon,  and  would  have  killed  a  cow, 
and  broken  everything  in  the  house,  if  two  Indians,  whom 
he  had  left  in  charge  of  the  house,  had  not  prevented  them 
from  carrying  out  their  design.  I  immediately  detached 
65  men  under  the  command  of  Captain  Hog,  Lieutenant 
Mercer,  Ensign  La  Peronie,  three  Sergeants  and  three 
corporals,  with  instructions.  The  French  had  made  many 
inquiries  at  Mr.  Gist's,  as  to  what  had  become  of  the  Half- 
King?  I  did  not  fail  to  let  several  young  Indians  who  were 
in  our  Camp  know  that  the  French  wanted  to  kill  the  Half- 
King;  and  it  had  its  desired  effect.  They  immediately 


126  THE  STORYrLIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

offered  to  accompany  our  people  to  go  after  the  French, 
and  if  they  found  it  true  that  he  had  been  killed,  or  even 
insulted  by  them,  one  of  them  would  presently  carry  the 
news  thereof  to  the  Mingo  village,  in  order  to  incite  their 
warriors  to  fall  upon  them.  One  of  these  young  men  was 
detached  towards  Mr.  Gist's,  and  in  case  he  should  not  find 
the  Half -King  there,  he  was  to  send  a  message  by  a  Delaware. 

About  eight  in  the  evening  I  received  an  express  from 
the  Half -King  who  informed  me  that,  as  he  was  coming 
to  join  us,  he  had  seen  along  the  road,  the  tracks  of  two 
men,  which  he  had  followed,  till  he  was  brought  thereby  to 
a  low  obscure  place;  that  he  was  of  opinion  the  whole 
party  of  the  French  was  hidden  there.  That  very  moment 
I  sent  out  forty  men  and  ordered  my  ammunition  to  be  put 
in  a  place  of  safety,  fearing  it  to  be  a  strategem  of  the  French 
to  attack  our  camp.  I  left  a  guard  to  defend  it,  and  with 
the  rest  of  my  men,  set  out  in  a  heavy  rain,  and  in  a  night 
as  dark  as  pitch,  along  a  path  scarce  broad  enough  for  one 
man;  we  were  sometimes  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  out  of 
the  path  before  we  could  come  to  it  again,  and  we  would 
often  strike  against  each  other  in  the  darkness:  All  night 
along  we  continued  our  route,  and  on  the  28th  about  sun- 
rise we  arrived  at  the  Indian  camp,  where  after  having  held 
a  council  with  the  Half-King,  we  concluded  to  attack  them 
together;  so  we  sent  out  two  men  to  discover  where  they 
were,  as  also  their  posture  and  what  sort  of  ground  was 
thereabout,  after  which  we  prepared  to  surround  them 
marching  one  after  the  other,  Indian  fashion.  We  had 
thus  advanced  pretty  near  to  them  when  they  discovered  us ; 
I  then  ordered  my  company  to  fire;  my  fire  was  supported 
by  that  of  Mr.  Waggoner  and  my  company  and  his  received 
the  whole  fire  of  the  French,  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
action,  which  only  lasted  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the 
enemy  was  routed. 

We  killed  Mr.  de  Jumonville,  the  Commander  of  that 
party,  as  also  nine  others;  we  wounded  one  and  made 


I27 


twenty-one  prisoners,  among  whom  were  M.  la  Force,  M. 
Drouillon  and  two  cadets.  The  Indians  scalped  the  dead 
and  took  away  the  greater  part  of  their  arms,  after  which 
we  marched  on  with  the  prisoners  under  guard  to  the 
Indian  camp,  where  I  again  held  a  council  with  the  Half- 
King,  and  there  informed  him  that  the  Governor  was 
desirous  to  see  him,  and  was  expecting  him  at  Winchester; 
he  answered  that  he  could  not  go  just  then,  as  his  people 
were  in  too  imminent  danger  from  the  French  whom  they 
had  attacked;  that  he  must  send  runners  to  all  the  allied 
nations,  in  order  to  invite  them  to  take  up  the  Hatchet. 

.  After  this  I  marched  on  with  the  prisoners.  They 
informed  me  that  they  had  been  sent  with  a  summons  to 
order  me  to  retire.  A  plausible  pretence  to  discover  our 
camp  and  to  obtain  knowledge  of  our  forces  and  our  situa- 
tion! It  was  so  clear  that  they  were  come  to  reconnoitre 
what  we  were,  that  I  admired  their  assurance  when  they 
told  me  they  were  come  as  an  Embassy;  their  instructions 
were  to  get  what  knowledge  they  could  of  the  roads,  rivers, 
and  all  the  country  as  far  as  the  Potomac;  and  instead  of 
coming  as  an  Embassador,  publicly  and  in  an  open  manner, 
they  came  secretly,  and  sought  the  most  hidden  retreats 
more  suitable  for  deserters  than  for  Embassadors;  they 
encamped  there  and  remained  hidden  for  whole  days 
together,  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  five  miles  from  us ; 
they  sent  spies  to  reconnoiter  our  camp;  the  whole  body 
turned  back  2  miles;  they  sent  the  two  messengers  men- 
tioned in  the  instruction,  to  inform  M.  de  Contrecceur  of 
the  place  where  we  were,  and  of  our  disposition,  that  he 
might  send  his  detachments  to  enforce  the  summons  as 
soon  as  it  should  be  given. 

Besides,  an  Embassador  has  princely  attendants, 
whereas  this  was  only  a  simple  petty  French  officer,  an 
Embassador  has  no  need  of  spies,  his  person  being  always 
sacred:  and  seeing  their  intention  was  so  good,  why  did 
they  tarry  two  days  at  five  miles'  distance  from  us  without 


i28  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


acquainting  me  with  the  summons,  or  at  least,  with  some- 
thing that  related  to  the  Embassy?  That  alone  would  be 
sufficient  to  excite  the  strongest  suspicions,  and  we  must  do 
them  the  justice  to  say,  that,  if  they  wanted  to  hide  them- 
selves, they  could  not  have  picked  out  better  places  than 
they  had  done.  The  summons  was  so  insolent,  and  sa- 
voured of  so  much  Gasconade,  that  if  it  had  been  brought 
openly  by  two  men  it  would  have  been  an  excessive  Indul- 
gence to  have  suffered  them  to  return. 

It  was  the  Opinion  of  the  Half-King  in  this  case  that 
their  pretensions  were  evil  and  that  it  was  pure  pretence; 
that  they  had  never  intended  to  come  to  us  otherwise  than 
as  enemies,  and  if  we  had  been  such  fools  as  to  let  them  go 
they  would  never  have  helped  us  to  take  any  other  French- 
men. 

They  say  they  called  to  us  as  soon  as  they  had  dis- 
covered us;  which  is  an  absolute  falsehood,  for  I  was  then 
marching  at  the  head  of  the  company  going  towards  them, 
and  can  positively  affirm,  that,  when  they  first  saw  us,  they 
ran  to  their  arms,  without  calling,  as  I  must  have  heard 
them  had  they  so  done. 

Journal  of  Colonel  George  Washington,  1754.  Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D., 
pp.  77  to  99,  from  Memoir  Contenant  le  Precis  des  Fails,  translated  and  printed  by 
Gaine,  New  York,  1757. 

"That  I  Know  to  be  False!" 

The  prisoners  were  accordingly  conducted  to  the  camp 
at  the  Great  Meadows,  and  sent  on  the  following  day  (29th), 
under  a  strong  escort  to  Governor  Dinwiddie,  then  at  Win- 
chester. Washington  had  treated  them  with  great  cour- 
tesy; had  furnished  Drouillon  and  La  Force  with  clothing 
from  his  own  scanty  stock,  and,  at  their  request,  given  them 
letters  to  the  governor,  bespeaking  for  them  the  "respect 
and  favor  due  to  their  character  and  personal  merit." 

A  sense  of  duty,  however,  obliged  him.  in  his  general 
despatch,  to  put  the  governor  on  his  guard  against  La 
Force.  "  I  really  think,  if  released,  he  would  do  more  to 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     129 

our  disservice  than  fifty  other  men,  as  he  is  a  person  whose 
active  spirit  leads  him  into  alt  parties,  and  has  brought  him 
acquainted  with  all  parts  of  the  country.  Add  to  this  a 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  Indian  tongues,  and  a  great  influ- 
ence with  the  Indians." 

After  the  departure  of  the  prisoners,  he  wrote  again 
respecting  them:  "I  have  still  stronger  presumption,  in- 
deed almost  confirmation,  that  they  were  sent  as  spies,  and 
were  ordered  to  wait  near  us  till  they  were  fully  informed  of 
our  intentions,  situation,  and  strength,  and  were  to  have 
acquainted  their  commander  therewith,  and  to  have  been 
lurking  here  for  re-enforcements  before  they  served  the 
summons,  if  served  at  all. 

"  I  doubt  not  but  they  will  endeavor  to  amuse  you  with 
many  smooth  stories,  as  they  did  me ;  but  they  were  con- 
futed in  them  all,  and,  by  circumstances  too  plain  to  be 
denied,  almost  made  ashamed  of  their  assertions. 

"  I  have  heard  since  they  went  away,  they  should  say 
they  called  on  us  not  to  fire;  but  that  I  know  to  be  false, 
for  I  was  the  first  man  that  approached  them,  and  the  first 
whom  they  saw,  and  immediately  they  ran  to  their  arms, 
and  fired  briskly  till  they  were  defeated."  .  .  .  "I 
fancy  they  will  have  the  assurance  of  asking  the  privilege 
due  to  an  embassy,  when  in  strict  justice  they  ought  to  be 
hanged  as  spies  of  the  worst  sort." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  154. 

A  Prologue  of  the  Revolutionary  Drama 

Indignant  letters  written  in  vigorous  language  were, 
however,  of  little  avail,  and  Washington  prepared  to  shift 
for  himself  as  best  he  might.  His  Indian  allies  brought 
him  news  that  the  French  were  on  the  march,  and  had 
thrown  out  scouting  parties.  Picking  out  a  place  in  the 
Great  Meadows  for  a  fort,  "  a  charming  field  for  an  en- 
counter, "  he  in  his  turn  sent  out  a  scouting  party,  and  then 
on  fresh  intelligence  from  the  Indians  set  forth  himself  with 


i3o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

forty  men  to  find  the  enemy.  After  a  toilsome  march  they 
discovered  their  foes  in  camp.  The  French,  surprised  and 
surrounded,  sprang  to  arms,  the  Virginians  fired,  there  was  a 
sharp  exchange  of  shots,  and  all  was  over.  Ten  of  the 
French  were  killed  and  twenty-one  were  taken  prisoners,  only 
one  of  the  party  escaping  to  carry  back  the  news. 

This  little  skirmish  made  a  prodigious  noise  in  its  day, 
and  was  much  heralded  in  France.  The  French  declared 
that  Jumonville,  the  leader,  who  fell  at  the  first  fire,  was 
foully  assassinated,  and  that  he  and  his  party  were  ambas- 
sadors and  sacred  characters.  Paris  rang  with  this  fresh 
instance  of  British  perfidy,  and  a  Mr.  Thomas  celebrated 
the  luckless  Jumonville  in  an  epic  poem  in  four  books.  French 
historians,  relying  on  the  account  of  the  Canadian  who  es- 
caped, adopted  the  same  tone,  and  at  a  later  day  mourned 
over  this  black  spot  on  Washington's  character.  The 
French  view  was  simple  nonsense.  Jumonville  and  his 
party,  as  the  papers  found  on  Jumonville  showed,  were  out 
on  a  spying  and  scouting  expedition.  They  were  seeking 
to  surprise  the  English  when  the  English  surprised  them, 
with  the  usual  backwoods  result.  The  affair  has  a  dramatic 
interest  because  it  was  the  first  blood  shed  in  a  great  struggle, 
and  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  world-wide  wars  and 
social  and  political  convulsions,  which  terminated  more 
than  half  a  century  later  on  the  plains  of  Waterloo.  It 
gave  immortality  to  an  obscure  French  officer  by  linking  his 
name  with  that  of  his  opponent,  and  brought  Washington 
for  the  moment  before  the  eyes  of  the  world,  which  little 
dreamed  that  this  Virginian  colonel  was  destined  to  be  one 
of  the  principal  figures  in  the  great  revolutionary  drama 
to  which  the  war  then  beginning  was  but  the  prologue. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  71. 

"Snatching  Victory  from  the  Jaws  of  Defeat  " 

Gossipy  old  Horace  Walpole  told  King  George  II  that 
Washington  had  said  that  "the  whistling  of  bullets  was  like 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     131 

music,"  and  the  king  replied,  "If  that  young  man  had 
heard  more  bullets  Ke  would  not  have  thought  so. "  Later 
in  life,  after  this  story  was  widely  printed,  Washington  was 
asked  if  he  had  ever  said  such  a  thing,  and  he  replied : 

"  If  I  did  so,  it  must  have  been  when  I  was  very  young. " 
Colonel  Fry,  the  old  officer  the  governor  had  put  in 
command  of  all  the  Virginia  forces,  died  at  Wills  Creek,  and 
Colonel  James  Innes  of  North  Carolina,  was  reported  to  be 
his  successor.  Major  Washington  was  pleased,  for  Innes 
had  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  under  him.  Innes's  rank 
had  been  created  by  the  crown  while  Washington's  appoint- 
ment was  from  the  governor  only.  On  this  account  Innes 
and  his  men,  though  they  marched  to  the  seat  of  action, 
refused  to  aid  in  fortifying  and  preparing  to  resist  the 
French;  who  were  reported  to  be  coming  in  large  numbers 
to  attack  them.  The  North  Carolina  troops  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  Virginians — save  to  stand  by,  jeering 
the  few  men  who  were  working  sturdily  upon  the  roads 
and  defenses.  But  for  this  arrogant  obstinacy  the  results 
of  those  early  battles  might  have  been  very  different. 
Governor  Dinwiddie  himself,  in  his  efforts  to  favor  Colonel 
Innes,  was  largely  to  blame  for  this  outrageous  state  of 
affairs.  Two  independent  New  York  companies  arrived  at 
Wills  Creek  in  time  to  have  been  sent  on  to  save  the  day  at 
Fort  Necessity — so  named  because  of  the  desperate  straits 
of  Washington's  hungry  command.  The  separate  provinces 
were  so  unwilling  to  co-operate  that  they  sent  companies 
under  commanders  who  would  acknowledge  no  other 
authority.  These  "independent"  companies,  too  indepen- 
dent to  fight,  idly  looked  on  while  the  heroic  little  force  of 
Virginians  under  Washington  starved  and  struggled  and 
fought  on  in  sheer  desperation. 

The  French  had  finished  the  fort  at  the  fork  of  the 
Ohio  and  named  it  Fort  Duquesne,  in  honor  of  the  Canadian 
general,  and  Captain  de  Villiers,  a  brother-in-law  of  Jumon- 
ville,  marched  down  to  the  little  palisaded  structure  with 


i3  2  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

nearly  a  thousand  French  and  Indians.  Even  the  Half- 
King  and  other  Indian  allies  of  the  English  deserted  them. 
It  was  only  a  question  of  time.  The  few  men  at  Fort 
Necessity  had  no  provisions  and  little  ammunition.  Yet 
Washington  stipulated  terms  which  allowed  him  to  march 
away,  July  4,  1754,  with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying. 
The  young  Virginia  major  was  so  brave  as  ,to  be  foolhardy. 
The  Indian  Half-King,  to  excuse  himself  for  deserting, 
afterwards  said  of  the  contending  white  forces,  "  The  French 
were  cowards,  and  the  English,  fools." 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  June  19  to  25.  1910. 

The  Articles  of  Capitulation 

(Translated  from  the  French). 

ARTICLE  ist. — We  permit  the  English  Commander  to 
withdraw  all  the  garrison,  in  order  that  he  may  return 
peaceably  to  his  country,  and  to  shield  him  from  all  insult 
at  the  hands  of  our  French,  and  to  restrain  as  much  as  may 
be  in  our  power,  the  savages  who  are  with  us. 

ART.  2nd. — He  shall  be  permitted  to  go  out  and  take 
with  him  whatever  belongs  to  his  troops,  except  the  artillery, 
which  we  reserve  for  ourselves. 

ART.  3d. — We  accord  them  the  honors  of  war;  they 
shall  go  out  with  beating  drums,  and  with  a  small  piece  of 
cannon,  wishing  by  this  means  to  prove  that  we  treat 
them  as  friends. 

ART.  4th. — As  soon  as  these  articles  shall  be  signed  by 
both  parties,  they  shall  pull  down  the  English  flag. 

ART.  5th. — To-morrow  at  daybreak  a  French  detach- 
ment shall  lead  forth  the  garrison  and  take  possession  of  the 
aforesaid  fort. 

ART.  6th. — Since  the  English  have  scarcely  any  horses 
or  oxen  left,  they  shall  be  allowed  to  place  their  property 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     133 

en  cache,  in  order  that  they  may  return  to  seek  for  it  after 
they  shall  have  recovered  their  horses;  for  this  purpose 
they  shall  be  permitted  to  leave  such  number  of  troops 
as  guards  as  they  may  think  proper,  under  this  condition 
that  they  give  their  word  of  honor  that  they  will  work  on 
no  establishment  either  in  this  place  or  from  here  to  the 
summit  of  the  mountains  for  one  year  reckoning  from  this 
day. 

ART.  7th. — Since  the  English  have  in  their  power  an 
officer  and  two  cadets,  and  in  general,  all  the  prisoners 
whom  they  took  when  they  murdered  Lord  [dans  Vassassinat 
du  Sieur  de]  Jumonville,  they  now  promise  to  send  them 
with  an  escort  to  Fort  Duquesne,  situated  on  the  Beautiful 
River  [la  Belle-Riviere,  that  is,  the  Ohio,]  and  to  secure  the 
safe  performance  of  this  article,  as  well  as  of  this  treaty, 
Messrs.  Jacob  Van  Braam  and  Robert  Stobo,  both  captains, 
shall  be  delivered  to  us  as  hostages  until  the  arrival  of  our 
French  and  Canadians  above  mentioned. 

We  on  our  part  declare  that  we  shall  give  an  escort 
to  send  back  in  safety  the  two  officers  who  promise  us  our 
French  in  two  months  and  a  half  at  the  latest. 

Copied  on  one  of  the  posts  of  our  block-house  the  same 
day  and  year  as  before. 

(Signed)       Messrs.  JAMES  MACKAYE,  Gc. 
G°.  WASHINGTON, 

COULON  VlLLIER. 

Journal  of  Colonel  George  Washington,  1754.     Edited,  with  Notes,  by  J.  M.  Toner,  M.D. 
Appendix,  p.  1 56.     (Translation  corrected  by  W.  W.  from  original  French  sources.) 

End  of  His  First  Campaign 

So  ended  Washington's  first  campaign.  His  friend  the 
Half-King,  the  celebrated  Seneca  chief,  Thanacarishon, 
who  prudently  departed  on  the  arrival  of  the  French,  has 
left  us  a  candid  opinion  of  Washington  and  his  opponents. 
"The  colonel,"  he  said,  "was  a  good-natured  man,  but  had 


134  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

no  experience ;  he  took  upon  him  to  command  the  Indians 
as  slaves,  and  would  have  them  every  day  upon  scout  and  to 
attack  the  enemy  by  themselves,  but  would  by  no  means 
take  advice  from  the  Indians.  He  lay  in  one  place  from  one 
full  moon  to  the  other,  without  making  any  fortifications, 
except  that  little  thing  on  the  meadow;  whereas,  had  he 
taken  advice,  and  built  such  fortifications  as  I  advised  him, 
he  might  easily  have  beat  off  the  French.  But  the  French 
in  the  engagement  acted  like  cowards,  and  the  English  like 
fools." 

There  is  a  deal  of  truth  in  this  opinion.  The  whole 
expedition  was  rash  in  the  extreme.  When  Washington 
left  Wills's  Creek  he  was  aware  that  he  was  going  to  meet  a 
force  of. a  thousand  men  with  only  a  hundred  and  fifty  raw 
recruits  at  his  back.  In  the  same  spirit  he  pushed  on ;  and 
after  the  Jumonville  affair,  although  he  knew  that  the 
wilderness  about  him  was  swarming  with  enemies,  he  still 
struggled  forward.  When  forced  to  retreat  he  made  a  stand 
at  the  Meadows  and  offered  battle  in  the  open  to  his  more 
numerous  and  more  prudent  foes,  for  he  was  one  of  those 
men  who  by  nature  regard  courage  as  a  substitute  for  every- 
thing, and  who  have  contempt  for  hostile  odds.  He  was 
ready  to  meet  any  number  of  French  and  Indians  with 
cheerful  confidence  and  real  pleasure.  He  wrote  in  a  letter 
which  soon  became  famous,  that  he  loved  to  hear  bullets 
whistle,  a  sage  observance  which  he  set  down  in  later  years 
as  a  folly  of  youth.  Yet  this  boyish  outburst,  foolish  as  it 
was,  has  a  meaning  for  us,  for  it  was  essentially  true.  Wash- 
ington had  the  fierce  fighting  temper  of  the  Northmen.  He 
loved  battle  and  danger,  and  he  never  ceased  to  love  them 
and  to  give  way  to  their  excitement,  although  he  did  not 
again  set  down  such  sentiments  in  boastful  phrase  that 
made  the  world  laugh.  Men  of  such  temper,  moreover,  are 
naturally  imperious  and  have  a  fine  disregard  of  conse- 
quences, with  the  result  that  their  allies,  Indian  or  otherwise, 
often  become  impatient  and  finally  useless.  The  campaign 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     135 

was  perfectly  wild  from  the  outset,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  utter  indifference  to  danger  displayed  by  Washington, 
and  the  consequent  timidity  of  the  French,  that  particular 
body  of  Virginians  would  have  been  permanently  lost  to  the 
British  Empire. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  74. 

"  The  Same  Identical  Gent" 

When  returned  from  his  first  campaign,  and  resting  at 
Mount  Vernon,  the  time  seems  to  have  been  beguiled  by 
some  charmer,  for  one  of  Washington's  officers  and  intimates 
writes  from  Williamsburg,  "  I  imagine  you  By  this  time 
plung'd  in  the  midst  of  delight  heaven  can  afford  &  en- 
chanted By  Charmes  even  Stranger  to  the  Ciprian  Dame,'' 
and  a  foot-note  by  the  same  hand  only  excites  further  cu- 
riosity concerning  this  latter  personage  by  indefinitely 
naming  her  as  "Mrs.  Neil." 

With  whatever  heart-affairs  the  winter  was  passed, 
with  the  spring  the  young  man's  fancy  turned  not  to  love, 
but  again  to  war.  .  .  .  No  longer  did  he  have  to  sue 
for  the  favor  of  the  fair  ones,  and  Fairfax  wrote  him  that 
"if  a  Satterday  Nights  Rest  cannot  be  sufficient  to  enable 
your  coming  hither  tomorrow,  the  Lady's  will  try  to  get 
Horses  to  equip  our  Chair  or  attempt  their  strength  on  Foot 
to  Salute  you,  so  desirous  are  they  with  loving  Speed  to  have 
an  occular  Demonstration  of  your  being  the  same  Identical 
Gent — that  lately  departed  to  defend  his  Country's  Cause." 
Furthermore,  to  this  letter  was  appended  the  following: 

''Dear  Sir: — After  thanking  Heaven  for  your  safe 
return  I  must  accuse  you  of  great  unkindness  in  refusing 
us  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  this  night.  I  do  assure  you 
nothing  but  our  being  satisfied  that  our  company  would  be 
disagreeable  should  prevent  us  from  trying  if  our  Legs 
would  not  carry  us  to  Mount  Vernon  this  night,  but  if  you 


136  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

will  not  come  to  us  tomorrow  morning  very  early  we  shall 
be  at  Mount  Vernon. 

"S[ally]  Fairfax. 

"Ann  Spearing. 
"Eliz'th  Dent." 

Nor  is  this  the  only  feminine  postscript  of  this  time, 
for  in  the  postscript  of  a  letter  from  Archibald  Gary,  a  lead- 
ing Virginian,  he  is  told  that  "Mrs.  Gary  &  Miss  Randolph 
joyn  in  wishing  you  that  sort  of  Glory  which  will  most  In- 
dear  you  to  the  Fair  Sex. " 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  89. 

"The  Season  Calls  for  Despatch" 

In  the  meantime  the  French,  elated  by  their  recent 
triumph,  and  thinking  no  danger  at  hand,  relaxed  their 
vigilance  at  Fort  Duquesne.  Stobo,  who  was  a  kind  of 
prisoner  at  large  there,  found  means  to  send  a  letter  secretly 
by  an  Indian,  dated  July  28,  and  directed  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  English  troops.  It  was  accompanied  by  a 
plan  of  the  fort.  "There  are  two  hundred  men  here," 
writes  he,  "and  two  hundred  expected;  the  rest  have  gone 
off  in  detachments  to  the  amount  of  one  thousand,  besides 
Indians.  None  lodge  in  the  fort  but  Contrecoeur  and  the 
guard,  consisting  of  forty  men  and  five  officers;  the  rest 
lodge  in  bark  cabins  around  the  fort.  The  Indians  have 
access  day  and  night,  and  come  and  go  when  they  please. 
If  one  hundred  trusty  Shawnees,  Mingoes,  and  Delawares 
were  picked  out,  they  might  surprise  the  fort,  lodging 
themselves  under  the  palisades  by  day,  and  at  night  secure 
the  guard  with  their  tomahawks,  shut  the  sally-gate,  and 
the  fort  is  ours. " 

One  part  of  Stobo's  letter  breathes  a  loyal  and  generous 
spirit  of  self-devotion.  Alluding  to  the  danger  in  which 
he  and  Van  Braam,  his  fellow-hostage,  might  be  involved, 
^e  says,  "Consider  the  good  of  the  expedition  without 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     137 

regard  to  us.  When  we  engaged  to  serve  the  country  it 
was  expected  we  were  to  do  it  with  our  lives.  For  my  part, 
I  would  die  a  hundred  deaths  to  have  the  pleasure  of  possess- 
ing this  fort  but  one  day.  They  are  so  vain  of  their  success 
at  the  Meadows  [Fort  Necessity]  it  is  worse  than  death  to 
hear  them.  Haste  to  strike.  " 

The  Indian  messenger  carried  the  letter  to  Aughquick 
and  delivered  it  into  the  hands  of  George  Croghan.  The 
Indian  chiefs  who  were  with  him  insisted  upon  his  opening 
it.  He  did  so,  but  on  finding  the  tenor  of  it,  transmitted 
it  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  The  secret  information 
communicated  by  Stobo,  may  have  been  the  cause  of  a 
project  suddenly  conceived  by  Governor  Dinwiddie,  of  a 
detachment  which,  by  a  forced  march  across  the  mountains, 
might  descend  upon  the  French  and  take  Fort  Duquesne 
at  a  single  blow;  or  failing  that,  might  build  a  rival  fort 
in  its  vicinity.  He  accordingly  wrote  Washington  to 
march  forthwith  for  Wills 's  Creek,  with  such  companies  as 
were  complete,  leaving  orders  for  the  officers  to  follow  as 
soon  as  they  should  have  enlisted  men  sufficient  to  make 
up  their  companies.  "The  season  of  the  year,"  added  he, 
"calls  for  despatch.  I  depend  upon  your  usual  diligence 
and  spirit  to  encourage  your  people  to  be  active  on  this 
occasion. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  p.  177. 

The  First  Blow  of  the  Seven  Years'  War 

Mr.  Washington  was  at  this  time  raising  such  a  regiment 
as  with  the  scanty  pay  and  patronage  of  the  Virginian 
government,  he  could  get  together,  and  proposed  with  the 
help  of  these  men-of-war,  to  put  a  more  peremptory  veto 
upon  the  French  invaders  than  the  solitary  ambassador 
had  been  enabled  to  lay.  A  small  force  under  another 
officer,  Colonel  Trent,  had  been  already  despatched  to  the 
west,  with  orders  to  fortify  themselves  so  as  to  be  able  to 
resist  any  attack  of  the  enemy.  The  French  troops,  greatly 


138  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

outnumbering  ours,  came  up  with  the  English  outposts, 
who  were  fortifying  themselves  at  a  place  on  the  confines 
of  Pennsylvania  where  the  great  city  of  Pittsburg  now 
stands.  A  Virginian  officer  with  but  forty  men  was  in  no 
condition  to  resist  twenty  times  that  number  of  Canadians, 
who  appeared  before  his  incomplete  works.  He  was  suf- 
fered to  draw  back  without  molestation;  and  the  French, 
taking  possession  of  his  fort,  strengthened  it  and  christened 
it  by  the  name  of  the  Canadian  governor,  Duquesne.  Up 
to  this  time  no  actual  blow  of  war  had  been  struck.  The 
troops  representing  the  hostile  nations  were  in  presence — 
the  guns  were  loaded,  but  no  one  as  yet  had  cried,  "Fire!" 
It  was  strange  that  in  a  savage  forest  of  Pennsylvania,  a 
young  Virginian  officer  should  fire  a  shot  and  waken  up  a 
war  which  was  to  last  for  sixty  years,  which  was  to  cover 
his  own  country  and  pass  into  Europe,  to  cost  France  her 
American  colonies,  to  sever  ours  from  us,  and  create  the 
great  Western  Republic ;  to  rage  over  the  Old  World  when 
extinguished  in  the  New;  and,  of  all  the  myriads  engaged 
in  the  vast  contest,  to  leave  the  prize  of  the  greatest  fame 
with  him  who  struck  the  first  blow! 

The  Virginians,  W.  M.  Thackeray,  Vol.  I,  p.  sri  C^d/lff. 

"All  is  Fair  in— War" 

When  trying  to  win  the  Indians  to  the  English  cause 
in  1754,  Washington  in  his  journal  states  that  he  "let  the 
young  Indians  who  were  in  our  camp  know  that  the  French 
wanted  to  kill  the  Half  King,"  a  diplomatic  statement 
he  hardly  believed,  which  the  writer  says  "had  its  desired 
effect,"  and  which  the  French  editor  declared  to  be  an 
"imposture."  In  this  same  campaign  he  was  forced  to 
sign  a  capitulation  which  acknowledged  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  assassination,  and  this  raised  such  a  storm  in 
Virginia  when  it  became  known  that  Washington  hastened 
to  deny  all  knowledge  of  the  charge  having  been  contained 
among  the  articles,  and  alleged  that  it  had  not  been  made 


THE  OPENING  OF  HIS  MILITARY  CAREER     139 

clear  to  him  when  the  paper  had  been  translated  and  read. 
On  the  contrary,  another  officer  present  at  the  reading 
states  that  he  refused  to  "  sign  the  Capitulation  because 
they  charged  us  with  Assassination  in  it." 

In  writing  to  an  Indian  agent  in  1775,  Washington 
was  "greatly  enraptured"  at  hearing  of  his  approach, 
dwelt  upon  the  man's  "hearty  attachment  to  our  glorious 
Cause"  and  his  "Courage  of  which  I  have  had  very  great 
proofs."  Inclosing  a  copy  of  the  letter  to  the  governor, 
Washington  said,  "the  letter  savors  a  little  of  flattery  &c., 
&c.,  but  this,  I  hope  is  justifiable  on  such  an  occasion." 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  307. 

The  Only  Course  Possible 

The  government  took  a  generous  view  of  Mr.  Wash- 
ington's case,  and,  to  his  amazement,  addressed  to  him  a 
vote  of  thanks,  of  praise  for  his  hard  work  and  masterly 
retreat,  as  they  were  pleased  to  call  it.  .  .  . 

But  the  authorities  did  not  long  remain  in  this  reason- 
able mood.  They  were  enabled  to  increase  the  army  by  a 
new  vote  of  supplies,  and  chose  this  moment  to  settle,  once 
for  all,  the  vexed  question  of  precedence  between  regular 
and  colonial  troops;  the  former  comprised  those  who  held 
the  King's  commission,  the  latter,  those  raised  and  sup- 
ported by  each  State  for  its  own  defence.  The  new  arrange- 
ment was  one  of  such  superlative  foolishness  that  it  appeared 
to  have  been  conceived  with  the  object  of  nullifying  all 
military  action.  It  provided  no  commanders,  generals, 
or  colonels,  but  gave  each  company  to  its  independent 
captain  to  use  as  he  saw  fit.  The  promulgation  was 
evidently  inspired  by  one  made  at  this  moment  by  George 
the  Second,  to  the  effect  that  any  officer  holding  a  royal 
commission  should  outrank  any  provincial  officer  of  any 
grade  whatever,  and  that  even  the  highest  of  the  latter, 
such  as  generals,  should  practically  cease  to  be  officers  at  all 
if  a  general  of  regulars  was  in  the  field. 

1-11 


i4o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Colonel  Washington  took  the  only  course  possible  in 
the  circumstances.  He  resigned  his  commission  in  the 
Virginian  army,  giving  his  reasons  in  a  few  words  of  strong 
and  indignant  protest,  and  went  home  to  Mount  Vernon. 
He  loved  fighting,  and  the  renunciation  of  his  army  career 
caused  him  profound  grief  and  disappointment;  but  he 
could  not  keep  both  his  commission  and  his  self-respect,  so 
the  commission  was  resigned. 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Hujjh  Fraser,  p.  420 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK 

The  Young  Commander  and  the  Pig-headed  Governor 

On  his  return  to  civilization,  Washington  found  his 
reputation  of  considerable  sendee  to  him;  instead  of  cen- 
suring him,  the  Burgesses  accepted  his  explanations,  thanked 
him  for  his  bravery,  and  gave  a  pistole  (about  four  dollars) 
to  each  of  his  soldiers.  The  young  commander  having  been 
through  a  campaign  and  under  fire,  and  experienced  both 
victory  and  defeat,  was  now  competent  not  only  to  fight 
the  French,  but  to  talk  sense  to  the  Governor,  which  was 
by  far  the  more  unpleasant  and  difficult  task  of  the  two. 

Washington  returned  to  Mount  Vernon  with  a  little 
glory,  a  great  deal  of  disappointment,  an  empty  pocket,  and 
a  decided  inclination  toward  a  military  career.  He  had 
scarcely  resumed  control  of  his  private  affairs  when  Major 
Stobo,  one  of  the  hostages  retained  by  the  French  as  security 
for  the  return  of  Washington's  first  prisoners,  succeeded  in 
getting  through  to  the  English  outposts  a  letter  declaring 
that  Fort  Duquesne  might  be  easily  captured.  This  letter 
seems  to  have  reached  Governor  Dinwiddie,  probably 
through  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  to  whom  it  was 
forwarded  from  the  frontier ;  for  the  Virginia  governor  sud- 
denly devised  a  forced  march  of  light  troops  upon  Fort 
Duquesne,  and  he  forthwith  ordered  Washington  to  con- 
duct such  a  movement. 

Dinwiddie  understood  war  about  as  a  cat  understands 
architecture;  that  is,  he  had  sometimes  crawled  around  on 
the  outside  of  it.  He  had  refused  to  return  the  French 
prisoners,  although  bound  by  the  terms  of  capitulation  to 
do  so.  He  was  holding  troops  in  service  although  there 

(141) 


1 42  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

was  no  money  with  which  to  pay  them  or  even  to  purchase 
supplies;  and  now,  late  in  August,  he  proposed  to  begin  a 
winter  campaign  with  men  some  of  whom  were  yet  to  be  re- 
cruited, and  without  ammunition,  subsistence,  forage, 
clothing,  or  means  of  transportation.  Washington  suc- 
ceeded in  dissuading  him  from  his  senseless  purpose ;  but  the 
Governor  had  to  vent  his  warlike  spirit  in  some  way,  so  he 
blundered  into  abusing  the  Burgesses  for  not  voting  him, 
free  of  restrictions,  all  the  money  he  wanted.  Then,  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  any  disagreements  about  military  pre- 
cedence, he  reorganized  the  Virginia  troops  into  independent 
companies,  no  officer  to  be  above  the  rank  of  captain.  This 
masterly  stroke  of  genius  drove  Colonel  Washington  out 
of  the  service.  There  is  no  knowing  what  additional  bril- 
liancies Dinwiddie  might  have  perpetrated  had  not  the 
Crown  suppressed  him  somewhat  by  appointing  Governor 
Sharpe,  of  Maryland,  commander-iji-chief  of  all  forces  en- 
gaged against  the  French. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  29. 

Serious  Troubles  and  Petty  Annoyances 

Serious  troubles,  moreover,  were  complicated  by  petty 
annoyances.  A  Maryland  captain,  at  the  head  of  thirty 
men,  undertook  to  claim  rank  over  the  Virginian  commander- 
in-chief  because  he  had  held  a  king's  commission;  and 
Washington  was  obliged  to  travel  to  Boston  in  order  to 

have  the  miserable  thing  set  right 

This  affair  settled,  he  returned  to  take  up  again  the  old 
disheartening  struggle,  and  his  outspoken  condemnation 
of  Dinwiddie's  foolish  schemes  and  of  the  shortcomings  of 
the  government  began  to  raise  up  backbiters  and  mal- 
contents at  Williamsburg.  "My  orders,"  he  said,  "are 
dark,  doubtful,  and  uncertain ;  to-day  approved,  to-morrow 
condemned.  Left  to  act  and  proceed  at  hazard,  account- 
able for  the  consequences,  and  blamed  without  the  benefit 
of  defence."  He  determined  nevertheless  to  bear  with 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK  143 

his  trials  until  the  arrival  of  Lord  London,  the  new  com- 
mander-in-chief ,  from  whom  he  expected  vigor  and  improve- 
ment. Unfortunately  he  was  destined  to  have  only  fresh 
disappointment  from  the  new  general,  for  Lord  Loudon 
was  merely  one  more  incompetent  man  added  to  the  existing 
confusion.  He  paid  no  heed  to  the  South,  matters  con- 
tinued to  go  badly  in  the  North,  and  Virginia  was  left 
helpless.  So  Washington  toiled  on  with  much  discourage- 
ment, and  the  disagreeable  attacks  upon  him  increased. 
That  it  should  have  been  so  is  not  surprising,  for  he  wrote 
ta  the  governor,  who  now  held  him  in  much  disfavor,  to 
the  speaker,  and  indeed  to  everyone,  with  a  most  galling 
plainness.  He  was  young,  be  it  remembered,  and  his 
high  temper  was  by  no  means  under  perfect  control.  He 
was  anything  but  diplomatic  at  that  period  of  his  life, 
and  was  far  from  patient,  using  language  with  much  sin- 
cerity and  force,  and  indulging  in  a  blunt  irony  of  rather 
a  ferocious  kind.  When  he  was  accused  finally  of  getting 
up  reports  of  imaginary  dangers,  his  temper  gave  way 
entirely.  He  wrote  wrathfully  to  the  governor  for  justice, 
and  added  in  a  letter  to  his  friend,  Captain  Peachy:  "As  to 
Colonel  C.'s  gross  and  infamous  reflections  on  my  conduct 
last  spring,  it  will  be  needless,  I  dare  say,  to  observe  further 
at  this  time  than  that  the  liberty  which  he  has  been  pleased 
to  allow  himself  in  sporting  with  my  character  is  little  else 
than  a  comic  entertainment,  discovering  at  one  view  his 
passionate  fondness  for  your  friend,  his  inviolable  love  of. 
truth,  his  unfathomable  knowledge,  and  the  masterly  strokes 
of  his  wisdom  in  displaying  it.  You  are  heartily  welcome 
to  make  use  of  any  letter  or  letters  which  I  may  at  any  time 
have  written  to  you;  for  although  I  keep  no  copies  of 
epistles  to  my  friends  nor  can  remember  the  contents  of  all 
of  them,  yet  I  am  sensible  that  the  narrations  are  just,  and 
that  truth  and  honesty  will  appear  in  my  writings ;  of  which, 
therefore,  I  shall  not  be  ashamed,  though  criticism  may 
censure  my  style." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  88. 


•  44  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Washington,  Franklin,  and  General  Braddock 

About  this  time  England  sent  over  ten  thousand 
pounds,  with  some  firearms;  learning  which  the  Burgesses, 
being  willing  to  assist  the  mother  country,  although  unwill- 
ing to  stand  all  the  expense  of  a  fight  which  was  really 
between  two  European  powers,  voted  twenty  thousand 
pounds.  It  seemed  as  if  in  the  prospective  campaign 
there  was  to  be  no  place  for  Washington ;  but  in  the  follow- 
ing spring,  General  Edward  Braddock  was  sent  over  from 
England  to  whip  the  French  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
and  he  invited  Washington  to  become  a  member  of  his 
staff;  which  was  the  only  judicious  act  of  his  entire  military 
career  in  this  country. 

Braddock  was  a  soldier  who  had  enjoyed  the  blessings 
of  many  years  of  military  drill  and  London  loungings;  he 
was  courteous,  brave,  honorable  in  intent,  headstrong  and 
quick-tempered;  some  of  his  remaining  military  qualities 
are  named  in  Colonel  Calverly's  recipe  for  making  a  heavy 
dragoon,  in  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  aesthetic  opera,  "Patience." 
What  he  did  not  know  was  not,  in  his  opinion,  worth 
knowing.  There  were  but  two  men  in  the  colonies  to 
whom  he  would  listen  respectfully;  one  of  these  was  Benja- 
min Franklin,  who,  being  some  centuries  old  when  he  was 
born,  and  having  added  to  his  knowledge  about  fifty  years 
of  experience,  knew  how  to  call  a  man  a  fool  without  hurting 
his  feelings.  The  other  was  Washington,  who  lacked 
Franklin's  appalling  store  of  wisdom,  but  had  the  rare 
sense  to  talk  only  upon  subjects  that  he  understood. 

But  even  Braddock 's  respect  for  these  two  men  could 
not  save  him.  When  Franklin,  in  his  sagacious  way,  tried 
to  give  Braddock  some  ideas  about  Indian  warfare  in  such 
a  manner  that  the  General  would  believe  he  had  thought 
them  out  for  himself,  the  soldier  replied  that  "These  sav- 
ages may  be  a  formidable  enemy  to  raw  American  militia, 
but  upon  the  King's  regular  and  disciplined  troops  it  is 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK. 


impossible  that  they  should  make  an  impression."  After 
this  knock-down  argument,  Franklin  ceased  to  waste  good 
counsel,  although  he  was  patriotic  enough  to  secure  for  the 
army,  on  his  own  word  of  honor,  the  much  needed  horses 
and  wagons  that  Braddock's  imported  quartermaster- 
general  had  been  unable  to  obtain  by  unlimited  threats 
and  profanity. 

Washington  did  not  let  Braddock  off  so  easily;  the 
young  aid  had  what  he  himself  terms  "frequent  disputes" 
with  his  general;  that  he  survived  them  and  retained  his 
position  is  probably  owing  to  his  ability  to  keep  his  tem- 
per. How  hard  it  must  have  been  to  retain  this  quality  of 
human  nature,  may  be  judged  from  Washington's  statement 
that  Braddock  was  "incapable  of  giving  up  any  points  he 
asserts,  be  it  ever  so  incompatible  with  reason  or  common 
sense.  " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  31. 

General  Braddock's  Aide-de-camp 

General  Braddock  set  out  from  Alexandria  on  the  2oth 
of  April.  Washington  remained  behind  a  few  days  to 
arrange  his  affairs,  and  then  rejoined  him  at  Fredericktown, 
in  Maryland,  where,  on  the  loth  of  May,  he  was  proclaimed 
one  of  the  general's"  aides-de-camp. 

During  the  halt  of  the  troops  at  Wills  '  Creek,  Washing- 
ton had  been  sent  to  Williamsburg  to  bring  on  four  thousand 
pounds  for  the  military  chest.  He  returned,  after  a  fort- 
night's absence,  escorted  from  Winchester  by  eight  men, 
"which  eight  men,"  writes^  he,  "were  two  days  assembling, 
but  I  believe  would  not  have  been  more  than  as  many  seconds 
dispersing  if  I  had  been  attacked."  .  ... 

Washington  was  disappointed  in  his  anticipations  of  a 
rapid  march.  The  general,  though  he  had  adopted  his 
advice  in  the  main,  could  not  carry  it  out  in  detail.  His 
military  education  was  in  the  way,  bigoted  to  the  regular 
and  elaborate  tactics  of  Europe,  he  could  not  stoop  to  the 


I46.  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTOX 

make-shift  expedients  of  a  new  country,  where  every  diffi- 
culty is  encountered  and  mastered  in  a  rough-and-ready 
style.  "  I  found,"  said  Washington,  "that  instead  of  push- 
ing on  with  vigor,  without  regarding  a  little  rough  road, 
they  were  halting  to  level  every  mole-hill  and  to  erect 
bridges  over  every  brook,  by  which  means  we  were  four 
days  in  getting  twelve  miles." 

For  several  days  Washington  had  suffered  from  fever, 
accompanied  by  intense  headache,  and  his  illness  increased 
in  violence  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  unable  to  ride,  and 
had  to  be  conveyed  for  a  part  of  the  time  in  a  covered  wagon. 
His  illness  continued  without  intermission  until  the  23d, 
"  when  I  was  relieved,  "  says  he,  "  by  the  general's  absolutely 
ordering  the  physician  to  give  me  Dr.  James '  powders :  one 
of  the  most  excellent  medicines  in  the  world.  It  gave  me 
immediate  relief,  and  removed  my  fever  and  other  com- 
plaints in  four  days'  time." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I,  pp    204  to  223. 

In  the  Battle  at  Fort  Duquesne 

As  soon  as  his  fever  abated  a  little  he  left '  Colonel 
Dunbar,  and  being  unable  to  sit  on  a  horse,  was  conveyed 
to  the  front  in  a  wagon,  coming  up  with  the  army  on  July 
8th.  He  was  just  in  time,  for  the  next  day  the  troops 
forded  the  Monongahela  and  marched  to  attack  the  fort. 
The  splendid  appearance  of  the  soldiers  as  they  crossed 
the  river  roused  Washington's  enthusiasm;  but  he  was  not 
without  misgivings.  ,=  .v  . 

The  troops  marched  on  in  ordered  ranks,  glittering 
and  beautiful.  Suddenly  firing  was  heard  in  the  front,  and 
presently  the  van  was  flung  back  on  the  main  body.  Yells 
and  war-whoops  resounded  on  every  side,  and  an  unseen 
enemy  poured  in  a  deadly  fire.  Washington  begged 
Braddock  to  throw  his  men  into  the  woods,  but  all  in 
vain.  Fight  in  platoons  they  must,  or  not  at  all.  The 
result  was  that  they  did  not  fight  at  all.  They  became 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN -WITH  BRADDOCK  147 

panic-stricken,  and  huddled  together,  overcome  with  fear, 
until  at  last  when  Braddock  was  mortally  wounded  they 
broke  in  wild  rout  "and  fled.  Of  the  regular  troops,  seven 
hundred,  and  of  the  officers,  who  showed  the  utmost  bravery, 
sixty-two  out  of  the  eighty-six,  were  killed  or  wounded. 
Two  hundred  Frenchmen  and  six  hundred  Indians  achieved 
this  signal  victory.  The  only  thing  that  could  be  called 
fighting  on  the  English  side  was  done  by  the  Virginians, 
"  the  raw  American  militia,  "  who,  spread  out  as  skirmishers, 
met  their  foes  on  their  own  ground,  and  were  cut  off  almost 
to  a  man. 

Washington  at  the  outset  flung  himself  headlong  into 
the  fight.  He  rode  up  and  down  the  field,  carrying  orders 
and  striving  to  rally  "the  dastards,"  as  he  afterwards 
called  the  regular  troops.  He  endeavored  to  bring  up  the 
artillery,  but  the  men  would  not  serve  the  guns,  although 
he  aimed  and  discharged  one  himself.  All  through  that 
dreadful  carnage  he  rode  fiercely  about,  raging  with  the 
excitement  of  battle,  and  utterly  exposed  from  beginning  to 
end.  Even  now  it  makes  the  heart  beat  quicker  to  think 
of  him  amid  the  smoke  and  slaughter  as  he  dashed  hither 
and  thither,  his  face  glowing  and  his  eyes  shining  with  the 
fierce  light  of  battle,  leading  on  his  own  Virginians,  and 
trying  to  stay  the  tide  of  disaster.  He.  had  two  horses 
shot  under  him  and  four  bullets  through  his  coat.  The 
Indians  thought  he  bore  a  charmed  life,  while  his  death 
was  reported  in  the  colonies,  together  with  his  dying  speech, 
which,  he  dryly  wrote  to  his  brother,  he  had  not  yet  com- 
posed. 

George  Washington   Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  8a 

A  Description  of  the  Battle 

It  was  a  bright  July  morning.  The  army  was  approach- 
ing Fort  Duquesne;  ten  miles  more,  and  it  would  be  here. 
Proudly  the  soldiers  moved  along  the  valley  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  wearing  their  bright  red  uniforms,  their  gun-barrels 


i48  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


and  bayonets  glaring  in  the  sunlight,  drums  beating, 
trumpets  sounding,  and  their  banners  waving.  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Gage,  with  three  hundred  men  led  the  advance. 
He  forded  the  river,  crossed  a  plain,  and  ascended  a  hill. 
Mr.  Gordon  was  in  advance  of  all,  with  a  company,  marking 
out  the  road.  General  Braddock  had  no  expectation  of 
being  attacked.  He  was  to  attack  the  French.  Mr. 
Gordon  beheld  a  man  wearing  a  gray  hunting-frock  waving 
his  hat.  A  silver  gorget  gleamed  upon  his  breast.  It  was 
a  French  officer,  Beaujean,  who  had  come  out  from  Fort  Du- 
quesne  with  two  hundred  and  thirty  Frenchmen  and  six 
hundred  and  thirty  Indians,  to  give  General  Braddock  a 
taste  of  fighting  in  the  wilderness  of  America.  From  every 
tree  there  came  a  flash,  and  the  head  of  Gage's  column 
melted  away;  but  the  English  fired  a  volley,  and  Beaujean 
and  thirteen  of  his  men  went  down. 

Gage's  artillerymen  wheeled  two  cannon  into  position, 
and  opened  fire.  The  roar  of  the  cannon  echoes  along  the 
river,  frightening  the  Indians,  who  started  to  run;  but 
the  French  held  their  ground.  The  Indians  came  back, 
yelling  the  war-whoop. 

"Vive  le  Roi!"  shouted  the  French. 

"  Hurrah  for  King  George!"  cried  the  English. 

Lieutenant-colonel  Burton  came  up  with  a  re-enforce- 
ment, but  his  troops  were  panic-stricken.  General  Brad- 
dock  tried  to  rally  his  men.  They  loaded  and  fired  at 
random;  they  saw  flashes,  puffs  of  smoke,  but  few  of  the 
enemy.  There  was  firing  in  front,  on  both  flanks  and  in 
the  rear,  where  the  Indians  were  shooting  the  horses  of  the 
baggage-train.  The  drivers  fled.  Men-  and  officers  were 
dropping  all  the  time.  Braddock  was  trying  to  form  his 
men  in  platoons  and  battalions,  after  the  method  laid  down 
in  all  military  books;  while  the  Virginians,  accustomed  to 
the  wilderness,  sprung  behind  rocks  and  trees,  or  fell  flat 
on  the  ground,  and  watched  their  opportunity  to  put  a 
bullet  through  the  head  of  a  Frenchman  or  Indian.  Brad- 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK  149 

dock  cursed  them  for  not  standing  up  in  platoons,  and 
struck  them  with  his  sword. 

How  preposterous!  Whoever  Heard  of  a  battle  being 
fought  in  that  way  from  behind  trees ! 

Captain  Waggoner  placed  his  company  of  Virginians 
behind  a  fallen  tree,  which  served  them  for  a  breast-work, 
and  poured  a  telling  volley  upon  the  French,  but  the  next 
minute  fifty  of  them  were  killed  by  the  panic-stricken 
British,  who  had  so  lost  their  wits  that  they  took  them  to  be 
Frenchmen.  The  French  and  Indians  aimed  to  pick  off 
all  the  English  officers.  Sir  Peter  Halket,  Braddock's 
second  in  command,  fell  dead.  Shirley,  Braddock's  secre- 
tary, went  down  with  a  bullet  through  his  breast.  Colonels 
Burton,  Gage,  and  Orme,  Major  Spark,  Major  Halket, 
Captain  Morris,  all  were  wounded. 

Washington's  horse  was  killed.  He  mounted  a  second; 
that,  too,  was  shot.  A  bullet  went  through  his  coat; 
another,  a  third,  a  fourth;  but  his  time  had  not  come  to  die. 
God  had  a  great  work  for  him  to  do  for  the  human  race,  and 
this  was  the  beginning. 

All  through  the  afternoon,  from  two  o'clock  to  five,  the 
hurly-burly  went  on — the  English  huddled  in  groups  or 
scattered  along  the  narrow  road,  firing  away  their  ammuni- 
tion, seeing  only  now  and  then  a  Frenchman  or  an  Indian. 
The  Virginians  alone  were  cool,  watching  their  opportunity, 
and  sending  bullets  through  the  skulls  of  the  savages  as 
they  peeped  from  behind  .the  trees. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon ;  General  Braddock 
had  had  five  horses  shot  under  him;  he  was  issuing  an 
order  when  a  bullet  struck  him  and  he  fell  upon  the  ground. 
His  troops  threw  aside  their  guns  and  knapsacks,  then  fled 
like  a  herd  of  frightened  sheep.  Washington  tried  to  stop 
them.  He  begged,  threatened,  but  in  vain. 

"Don't  leave  your  general  to  be  scalped!"  shouted 
Colonel  Orme.  "I'll  give  you  sixty  guineas  to  carry  him 
Off." 


1 5o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

What  was  Braddock  or  money  to  ,them?  To  escape 
was  their  only  thought.  Captain  Stewart  and  another 
Virginian  officer  took  the  wounded  general  in  their  arms 
and  bore  him  from  the  field.  All  through  the  night,  all  the 
next  day,  the  English  fled,  the  Virginians  under  Wash- 
ington protecting  the  rear  and  carrying  the  wounded 
general. 

The  French  and  Indians  made  no  attempt  at  pursuit; 
they  had  won  a  great  victory,  and  were  dividing  the  spoil — 
drinking  the  rum,  eating  the  bacon,  and  counting  their 
scalps  in  savage  glee. 

Old  Times  in  the  Colonies,  Charles  Carleton  Coffin,  j5.  380. 

His  Hatred  of  Cowardice 

His  fearlessness  was  equally  shown  by  his  hatred, 
and,  indeed,  non-comprehension  of  cowardice.  In  his 
first  battle,  upon  the  French  surrendering,  he  wrote  to 
the  governor,  "if  the  whole  Detach't  of  the  French  behave 
with  no  more  Resolution  than  this  chosen  Party  did,  I 
flatter  myself  we  shall  have  no  g't  trouble  in  driving  them 
to  the  d — . "  At  Braddock's  defeat,  though  the  regiment 
he  had  commanded  "behaved  like  men  and  died  like 
soldiers,"  he  could  hardly  find  words  to  express  his  con- 
tempt for  the  conduct  of  the  British  "cowardly  regulars," 
writing  of  their  "dastardly  behavior"  when  they  "broke 
and  ran  as  sheep  before  hounds"  and  raging  over  being 
"most  scandalously"  and  "shamefully  beaten." 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  270. 

"Unite  or  Die!" 

E  Pluribus  Unum,  the  motto  on  the  great  seal  of  the 
United  States,  is  a  crisp  expression  of  the  earnest  teachings 
of  Benjamin  Franklin  while  going  up  and  down  among  the 
colonies,  as  postmaster-general,  as  a  special  Indian  com- 
missioner and  as  a  delegate  to  a  convention  of  the  colonies. 
He  was  an  "all-round  man"  and  was  always  around  where 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK  151 

he  was  most  needed.  An  ardent  lover  of  liberty  and 
justice,  he  was  still,  by  force  of  his  frankness  and  humor, 
the  friend  of  those  who  represented  the  crown — and  this 
without  the  least  abatement  of  his  deep  conviction  as  to 
the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the  people.  .  .  . 

.  .  .  In  the  French  and  Indian  War,  Franklin  was  a 
leader  and  had  to  raise  men,  horses,  wagons  and  supplies, 
thus  heartily  cooperating  with  George  Washington,  then 
a  rising  Virginia  officer,  twenty-six  years  younger  than 
himself. 

It  was  while  in  the  way  of  this  duty  that  Franklin  met 
General  Braddock  and  attempted  to  advise  that  arrogant 
officer  how  he  ought  to  fight  the  French  and  Indians.  He 
wrote  of  Braddock: 

"  He  smiled  at  my  ignorance  and  replied,  'These 
savages  may,  indeed,  be  a  formidable  enemy  to  your  raw 
American  militia,  but  upon  the  king's  regular  and  dis- 
ciplined troops,  sir,  it  is  impossible  they  should  make  any 
impression.' 

Just  before  starting  for  Albany  as  a  delegate  to  the 
colonial  convention,  in  1754,  a  wood-cut  appeared  in  the 
"Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  Franklin's  newspaper,  of  a  snake 
separated  into  sections  representing  the  colonies;  under 
the  parted  pieces  was  the  legend,  "Unite  or  Die."  This 
design  was  adopted  as  one  of  the  many  flags  of  that  troubled 
time.  The  payment  of  the  expenses  of  the  French  and 
Indian  War  and  the  evasions  of  the  crown  and  proprietaries 
aroused  the  righteous  wrath  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania. 
These  "proprietaries"  were  Richard  and  Thomas  Penn, 
descendants  of  the  great  Quaker,  William  Penn,  to  whom 
Charles  the  Second  had  granted,  eighty  years  before,  the 
great  tract  of  country  to  which  he  gave  Perm's  name. 
These  degenerate  descendants  had  not  such  lofty  motives 
as  actuated  their  really  noble  grandfather.  Their  sole 
purpose  was  to  get  as  much  revenue  as  possible  out  of  their 
vast  estate,  which  was  then  valued  at  about  fifty  million 


1 52  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

dollars.  They  refused  to  pay  taxes  or  bear  any  of  the 
expenses  of  its  defense  in  the  later  war  with  the  French. 
So  Franklin  was  sent  to  London  to  remonstrate  with  them 
and  try  to  make  even  the  king  comprehend  the  real  and 
righteous  grievances  of  his  subjects  in  America.  He  arrived 
in  London  in  July,  1757,  was  detained  five  years  by  the 
dallying  policy  of  the  Penns,  and  came  back  without  ac- 
complishing much  more  than  the  tacit  consent  of  the 
crown  to  the  taxing  of  the  proprietaries.  After  his  return, 
Franklin  threw  himself  more  ardently  than  ever  into  the 
colonial  cause.  "United,  we  stand;  divided,  we  fall," 
became  his  motto,  for  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  discern 
that  there  was  to  be  an  "  irrepressible  conflict." 

The  Franklin  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  October  16  to  29,  1910. 

Denies  "Grossly  Exaggerated"  Report  of  His  Death 

(Letter  to  John  Augustine  Washington.) 

"FORT  CUMBERLAND,  18  July,  1755. 
"Dear  Brother: 

"As  I  have  heard,  since  my  arrival  at  this  place,  a 
circumstantial  account  of  my  death  and  dying  speech, 
I  take  this  early  opportunity  of  contradicting  the  first, 
and  of  assuring  you,  that  I  have  not  as  yet  composed  the 
latter.  But,  by  the  all-powerful  dispensations  of  Provi- 
dence, I  have  been  protected  beyond  all  human  probability 
and  expectation;  for  I  had  four  bullets  through  my  coat, 
and  two  horses  shot  under  me,  yet  escaped  unhurt,  altho' 
death  was  leveling  my  companions  on  every  side  of  me!" 

"We  have  been  most  scandalously  beaten  by  a  trifling 
body  of  men,  but  fatigue  and  want  of  time  will  prevent  me 
from  giving  you  any  of  the  details,  until  I  have  the  happiness 
of  seeing  you  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  I  now  most  ardently 
wish  for,  since  we  are  drove  in  thus  far.  A  weak  and  feeble 
state  of  health  obliges  me  to  halt  here  for  two  or  three  days 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK  153 

to  recover  a  little  strength,  that  I  may  thereby  be  enabled 
to  proceed  homewards  with  more  ease.  You  may  expect 
to  see  me  there  on  Saturday  or  Sunday  se' -night,  which  is 
as  soon  as  I  can  well  be  down,  as  I  shall  take  my  Bullskin 
Plantations  in  my  way.  Pray  give  my  compliments  to  all 
my  friends.  I  am,  dear  Jack,  your  most  affectionate 
brother," 

[GEORGE] 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.  D.,  p.  5. 

"I  Could  Offer  Myself  a  Willing  Sacrifice" 

After  the  hasty  retreat,  Colonel  Dunbar,  stricken  with 
panic,  fled  onward  to  Philadelphia,  abandoning  everything, 
and  Virginia  was  left  naturally  in  a  state  of  great  alarm. 
The  assembly  came  together,  and  at  last,  thoroughly 
frightened,  voted  abundant  money,  and  ordered  a  regiment 
of  a  thousand  men  to  be  raised.  Washington,  who  had 
returned  to  Mount  Vernon  ill  and  worn-out,  was  urged  to 
solicit  the  command,  but  it  was  not  his  way  to  solicit,  and 
he  declined  to  do  so  now.  August  i4th,  he  wrote  to  his 
mother:  "If  it  is  in  my  power  to  avoid  going  to  the  Ohio 
again,  I  shall;  but  if  the  command  is  pressed  upon  me  by 
the  general  voice  of  the  country,  and  offered  upon  such 
terms  as  cannot  be  objected  against,  it  would  reflect  dis- 
honor on  me  to  refuse  it!"  The  same  day  he  was  offered 
the  command  of  all  the  Virginia  forces  on  his  own  terms, 
and  accepted.  Virginia  believed  in  Washington,  and  he 
was  ready  to  obey  her  call. 

He  at  once  assumed  command  and  betook  himself  to 
Winchester,  a  general  without  an  army,  but  still  able  to 
check  by  his  presence  the  existing  panic,  and  ready  to  enter 
upon  the  trying,  dreary,  and  fruitless  work  that  lay  before 
him.  In  April,  1757,  he  wrote:  "  I  have  been  posted  then, 
for  more  than  twenty  months  past,  upon  our  cold  and 
barren  frontiers,  to  perform,  I  think  I  may  say,  impossi- 
bilities; that  is,  to  protect  from  the  cruel  incursions  of  a 


1 54  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

crafty,  savage  enemy  a  line  of  inhabitants,  of  more  than 
three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  extent,  with  a  force  inade- 
quate to  the  task!"  This  terse  statement  covers  all  that 
can  be  said  of  the  next  three  years.  It  was  a  long  struggle 
against  a  savage  foe  in  front,  and  narrowness,  jealousy,  and 
stupidity  behind,  apparently  without  any  chance  of 
effecting  anything,  or  gaming  any  glory  or  reward.  Troops 
were  voted,  but  were  raised  with  difficulty,  and  when 
raised  were  neglected  and  ill-treated  by  the  wrangling 
governor  and  assembly,  which  caused  much  ill-suppressed 
wrath  in  the  breast  of  the  commander-in-chief  who  labored 
day  and  night  to  bring  about  better  discipline  in  camp, 
and  who  wrote  long  letters  to  Williamsburg  recounting 
existing  evils  and  praying  for  a  new  militia  law. 

The  troops,  in  fact,  were  got  out  with  vast  difficulty 
even  under  the  most  stinging  necessity,  and  were  almost 
worthless  when  they  came.  Of  one  "noble  captain"  who 
refused  to  come,  Washington  wrote :  "  With  coolness  and 
moderation  this  great  captain  answered  that  his  wife, 
family,  and  corn  were  all  at  stake;  so  were  those  of  his 
soldiers ;  therefore  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  come.  Such 
is  the  example  of  the  officers ;  such  the  behavior  of  the  men ; 
and  upon  such  circumstances  depends  the  safety  of  our 
country!"  But  while  the  soldiers  were  neglected,  and  the 
assembly  faltered,  and  the  militia  disobeyed,  the  French 
and  Indians  kept  at  work  on  the  long  exposed  frontier. 
There  panic  reigned,  farm-houses  and  villages  went  up  in 
smoke,  and  the  fields  were  reddened  with  slaughter  at  each 
fresh  incursion.  Gentlemen  in  Williamsburg  bore  these 
misfortunes  with  reasonable  fortitude,  but  Washington 
raged  against  the  abuses  and  the  inaction,  and  vowed  that 
nothing  but  the  imminent  danger  prevented  his  resignation. 
"The  supplicating  tears  of  the  women,"  he  wrote,  "and 
moving  petitions  of  the  men  melt  me  into  such  deadly 
sorrow  that  I  solemnly  declare,  if  I  know  my  own  mind, 
I  could  offer  myself  a  willing  sacrifice  to  the  butchering 


THROUGH  THE  CAMPAIGN  WITH  BRADDOCK  155 

enemy,   provided   that   would   contribute   to   the   people's 
ease. " 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  85. 

Close  of  His  Career  as  a  Frontier  Fighter 

So  closed  the  first  period  in  Washington's  public 
career.  We  have  seen  him  pass  through  it  in  all  its  phases. 
It  shows  him  as  an  adventurous  pioneer,  as  a  reckless 
frontier  fighter,  and  as  a  soldier  of  great  promise.  He 
learned  many  things  in  this  time,  and  was  taught  much  in 
the  hard  school  of  adversity.  In  the  effort  to  conquer 
Frenchmen  and  Indians  he  studied  the  art  of  war,  and  at 
the  same  time  he  learned  to  bear  with  and  overcome  the 
dulness  and  inefficiency  of  the  government  he  served. 
Thus  he  was  forced  to  practise  self-control  in  order  to  attain 
his  ends,  and  to  acquire  skill  in  the  management  of  men. 
There  could  have  been  no  better  training  for  the  work  he 
was  to  do  in  the  after  years,  and  the  future  showed  how 
deeply  he  profited  by  it.  Let  us  turn  now,  for  a  moment, 
to  the  softer  and  pleasanter  side  of  life,  and  having  seen 
what  Washington  was,  and  what  he  did  as  a  fighting  man, 
let  us  try  to  know  him  in  the  equally  important  and  far 
more  attractive  domain  of  private  and  domestic  life. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  91. 


1-12 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING 
The  Colonel  of  the  Colony 

During  the  three  years  that  followed  the  Braddock 
campaign,  Washington  enjoyed  all  the  honors  and  torments 
that  his  native  colony  could  inflict  upon  him.  He  had 
rank,  authority,  men,  and  money;  but  what  were  all  these 
to  a  soldier  who  was  obliged  to  endure  Dinwiddie?  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  old  gentleman  was  hot  for  war,  but 
some  of  the  developments  of  his  martial  spirit  were  unspeak- 
ably exasperating  to  those  who  were  expected  to  do  the 
fighting.  Although  being  a  war  governor  was  not  an  exact 
science  in  those  days,  it  was  not  necessary  that  Dinwiddie 
should  have  been  satisfied  to  display  only  the  character- 
istics of  an  army  mule,  particularly  as  the  customs  of  the 
time  forbade  that  a  governor  should  be  treated  according 
to  his  deserts.  This  conceited,  obstinate,  short-sighted, 
narrow-minded,  jealous  governor  gave  the  military  force 
more  trouble  than  all  the  French  and  Indians  on  the  border. 
Yet  Washington,  as  the  colonial  commander-in-chief,  did 
not  proceed  against  the  old  fellow  with  powder  and  ball, 
or  even  drive  him  out  of  the  country.  Such  self-restraint 
was  phenomenal. 

Fears  that  the  French  and  Indians  would  transfer  the 
seat  of  war  to  the  settled  portions  of  the  colony  made  the 
Virginia  Burgesses  liberal  of  men  and  money,  and  a  regi- 
ment of  a  thousand  men  was  at  once  recruited.  Wash- 
ington became  its  colonel,  for  which  Dinwiddie  -never 
forgave  him,  although  he  was  obliged  to  sign  his  com- 
mission. The  Governor's  own  candidate  had  been  Colonel 
Innes,  of  North  Carolina,  who,  like  the  Governor,  was  a 

(156) 


THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING        157 

Scotchman,  and  was  strongly  supported  by  a  number  of 
his  fellow  countrymen.  As  the  patriotic  Scots  of  that 
period  seemed  to  believe  that  the  sites  of  the  Garden  of  Eden 
and  the  town  of  Bethlehem  were  both  in  Scotland,  and  that 
the  Scotch  were  the  chosen  race,  they  naturally  clung 
together  with  great  tenacity,  and  remembrance  of  the  long 
and  ugly  fight  over  the  Virginia  colonelcy  may  have  been 
the  reason  why,  in  the  first  draft  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  Scotchmen  were  classed  with  sundry  crea- 
tures whose  doings  had  been  reprehensible. 

As  colonel  of  the  Virginia  regiment,  Washington 
became  commander-in-chief  of  the  colony's  forces.  He 
established  his  headquarters  at  Winchester,  which  was  the 
largest  place  near  the  border  that  had  good  lines  of  com- 
munication with  the  remainder  of  the  colony. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  40. 

How  Colonel  Washington  "Took"  Boston 

One  of  the  beauties  of  the  military  system  of  the  day 
was,  that  each  colony  managed  its  own  forces,  under  the 
nominal  supervision  of  a  commander-in-chief  sent  out 
from  England.  Quarrels  were  frequent  over  questions  of 
rank,  for  some  officers  who  bore  commissions  from  the 
king  were  among  the  volunteers,  and  declined  to  receive 
orders  from  higher  officers  who  had  been  commissioned  only 
by  governors.  A  Maryland  captain  named  Dagworthy 
claimed  command  of  Fort  Cumberland  on  the  strength  of 
having  held  a  king's  commission,  and  a  grand  quarrel  at 
once  arose  between  Maryland  and  Virginia,  which  threatened 
to  drive  Washington  out  of  the  service.  The  case  was 
finally  referred  to  General  Shirley,  British  commander-in- 
chief  in  America,  and  Washington  was  sent  to  the  general 
to  explain. 

To  this  phase  of  the  quarrel  Washington  owed  one  of 
the  most  enjoyable  trips  of  his  life;  but  this  was  only  a 
minor  result,  for  his  journey  brought  him  in  contact  with 


i58  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Boston.  It  may  be  seen  at  first  sight  that  an  unfair  advan- 
tage was  taken  of  the  young  man,  for  he  had  not  yet 
become  the  Father  of  his  Country,  while  Boston,  on 
the  contrary,  had  been  the  Hub  of  the  Universe  for  at  least 
a  century.  Still,  the  man  and  the  town  impressed  one 
another  favorably ;  the  original  Yankee,  being  shapeless  and 
awkward,  could  not  fail  to  be  greatly  impressed  by  six  feet 
two  of  symmetrical  humanity;  the  original  Yankee  dressed 
very  badly,  whereas  Washington  was  faultlessly  and  richly 
attired;  Yankee  horses  were  carefully  modeled  after  dried 
codfish,  and  were  about  as  sad-eyed  and  spiritless,  whereas 
Washington  rode  into  Boston  on  a  magnificent  charger, 
and  even  his  colored  servant  was  well  mounted.  The 
young  Virginian  "took  the  town"  at  once;  the  natives 
could  not  show  him  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  the  burnt 
district,  or  the  Back  Bay  improvements,  as  now  they  would 
do  within  an  hour  of  his  arrival,  but  they  gave  him  what 
they  had — heartiness,  patriotism,  and  beans.  Concerning 
the-  latter,  his  letters  are  painfully  silent;  nothing  but 
silence  can  do  justice  to  some  topics;  but  the  people's 
hospitality  and  public  spirit  pleased  him  greatly. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  43. 

The  Handsome  Colonel  Rode  away  to  Boston  Town 

The  little  cavalcade  that  left  Virginia  on  February  4, 
1756,  must  have  looked  brilliant  enough  as  they  rode  away 
through  the  dark  woods.  First  came  the  colonel,  mounted 
of  course  on  the  finest  of  animals,  for  he  loved  and  under- 
stood horses  from  the  time  when  he  rode  bareback  in  the 
pasture  to  those  later  days  when  he  acted  as  judge  at  a 
horse-race  and  saw  his  own  pet  colt  "Magnolia"  beaten. 
In  this  expedition  he  wore,  of  course,  his  uniform  of  buff 
and  blue,  with  a  white  and  scarlet  cloak  over  his  shoulders, 
and  a  sword-knot  of  red  and  gold.  His  "horse  furniture" 
was  of  the  best  London  make,  trimmed  with  "livery  lace," 
and  the  Washington  arms  were  engraved  upon  the  housings. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING        159 

Close  by  his  side  rode  his  two  aides,  likewise  in  buff  and 
blue,  and  behind  came  his  servants,  dressed  in  the  Washing- 
ton colors  of  white  and  scarlet  and  wearing  hats  laced  with 
silver.  Thus  accoutred,  they  all  rode  on  together  to  the 
North. 

The  colonel's  fame  had  gone  before  him,  for  the  hero 
of  Braddock's  stricken  field  and  the  commander  of  the 
Virginia  forces  was  known  by  reputation  throughout  the 
colonies.  Every  door  flew  open  to  him  as  he  passed,  and 
every  one  was  delighted  to  welcome  the  young  soldier.  He 
was  dined  and  wined  and  feted  in  Philadelphia,  and  again 
in  New.  York,  where  he  fell  in  love  at  apparently  short 
notice  with  the  heiress  Mary  Philipse,  the  sister-in-law  of 
his  friend  Beverly  Robinson.  Tearing  himself  away  from 
these  attractions  he  pushed  on  to  Boston,  then  the  most 
important  city  on  the  continent,  and  the  headquarters  of 
Shirley,  the  commander-in-chief.  The  little  New  England 
capital  had  at  that  time  a  society  which,  rich  for  those  days, 
was  relieved  from  its  Puritan  sombreness  by  the  gayety 
and  life  brought  in  by  the  royal  officers.  Here  Washington 
lingered  ten  days,  talking  war  and  politics  with  the  gov- 
ernor, visiting  in  state  the  "great  and  general  court," 
dancing  every  night  at  some  ball,  dining  with  and  being 
feted  by  the  magnates  of  the  town.  His  business  done, 
he  returned  to  New  York,  tarried  there  awhile  for  the  sake 
of  the  fair  dame,  but  came  to  no  conclusions,  and  then,  like 
the  soldier  in  the  song,  he  gave  his  bridle-rein  a  shake  and 
rode  away  to  the  South,  and  to  the  harassed  and  ravaged 
frontier  of  Virginia. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  95. 

A  Chain  of  Forts  and  the  Gentlemen  Associators 

Washington's  Boston  trip  was  entirely  successful,  so 
far  as  the  question  of  rank  between  him  and  the  Maryland 
Captain  Dagworthy  was  concerned.  General  Shirley  was 
not  any  wiser  than  the  majority  of  generals  whom  England 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


at  that  time  exported  to  America,  but  he  knew  enough  to 
determine  .that  a  colonel  outranked  a  captain,  even  if  the 
latter  happened  to  be  serving  in  his  own  native  province. 
On  other  questions  of  rank,  however,  Shirley  was  unsatis- 
factory; Washington  was  unable  to  secure  King's  com- 
missions for  himself  and  his  officers,  although  this  desire 
was  stronger  in  him  than  the  wish  to  teach  the  meddlesome 
Dag  worthy  his  place. 

On  returning  to  Virginia,  he  went  promptly  to  work. 
From  Eastern  statesmen  and  drawing-rooms  to  Dinwiddie 
and  a  back-  woods  camp  was  a  terrible  change;  but  Wash- 
ington did  not,  as  many  another  officer  would  have  done, 
engineer  a  sick  leave  and  hurry  back  to  a  desirable  city  to 
prescribe  for  himself  at  trusty  bar-rooms.  He  went  right 
to  work  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  to  repel  invasion,  and  his 
task  was  as  great  as  his  strength  and  temper  could  endure. 
Fortunately  his  old  friend  Lord  Fairfax,  an  active,  brave 
sensible,  soldierly,  influential  old  fellow,  lived  in  the  valley, 
and  was  never  appealed  to  in  vain  for  counsel,  means,  or 
sympathetic  profanity.  There  was  not  a  particle  of  glory 
to  be  gained  by  defensive  work  on  the  border,  but  glory  was 
exactly  what  the  young  officer  did  not  need,  however  much 
he  may  have  longed  for  it.  Like  every  other  young  fellow 
who  is  worth  keeping,  he  had  to  endure  the  experiences 
that  suppress  conceit  and  develop  character.  Glory,  ease, 
even  the  opportunity  to  "show  off,"  was  denied  him. 
Every  military  commander  has  some  thorn  in  his  flesh,  but 
in  Dinwiddie  Washington  found  a  boundless  Forest  of 
thorns,  in  which  all  the  underbrush  was  briers.  The  old 
marplot  indited  orders  that  were  impossible  of  execution, 
and  then  countermanded  them  by  orders  that  were  worse. 
For  only  one  thing  could  be  he  uniformly  trusted,  and  that 
was,  to  oppose  any  measure  that  Washington  suggested. 

One  of  the  old  man's  lunacies,  in  which  he  was  sup- 
ported by  the  Burgesses,  was  the  establishing  of  twenty- 
three  forts,  on  a  border  line  about  four  hundred  miles  long, 


THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING        161 

there  being  but  fifteen  hundred  men  to  distribute  among 
them.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  French,  with 
their  known  instinct  of  politeness,  never  sent  Dinwiddie 
a  vote  of  thanks  for  this  unequaled  plan  for  annihilating 
all  the  provincial  forces.  Then,  as  if  he  were  determined  to 
start  an  insane  asylum  with  Washington  as  first  patient, 
Dinwiddie  turned  loose  upon  the  young  commander  a 
hundred  men,  called  the  Gentlemen  Associators,  who  were 
to  assist  in  selecting  locations  for  the  new  forts.  As  all  of 
the  Associators  were  civilians  they  of  course  knew  every 
thing  worth  knowing  about  military  affairs. 

George  Washington,  John  Hataberton,  p.  47. 

Big  George  Washington 

While  he  was  at  Mount  Vernon  he  saw  all  his  horses 
again, — ' '  Valiant ' '  and  ' '  Magnolia ' '  and  ' '  Chinkling ' '  and 
"  Ajax,  " — and  had  grand  gallops  over  the  country. 

He  had  some  fine  dogs,  too,  to  run  by  his  side,  and  help 
him  hunt  the  bushy-tailed  foxes.  "Vulcan"  and  "Ring- 
wood"  and  "Music"  and  "Sweetlips"  were  the  names  of 
some  of  them.  You  may  be  sure  the  dogs  were  glad  when 
they  had  their  master  home  again. 

But  Washington  did  not  have  long  to  rest,  for  another 
war  was  coming,  the  great  war  of  the  Revolution. 

The  Story  Hour,  Nora  A.  Smith,  p.  i»s. 

Broken  in  Health 

In  the  winter  of  1758  his  health  broke  down  com- 
pletely. He  was  so  ill  that  he  thought  that  his  constitution 
was  seriously  injured;  and  therefore  withdrew  to  Mount 
Vernon,  where  he  slowly  recovered.  Meantime  a  great 
man  came  at  last  to  the  head  of  affairs  in  England,  and, 
inspired  by  William  Pitt,  fleets  and  armies  went  forth  to 
conquer.  Reviving  at  the  prospect,  Washington  offered  his 
services  to  General  Forbes  who  had  come  to  undertake  the 


1 62  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

task  which  Braddock  had  failed  to  accomplish.  Once 
more  English  troops  appeared,  and  a  large  army  was 
gathered.  Then  the  old  story  began  again  and  Washington, 
whose  proffered  aid  had  been  gladly  received,  chafed  and 
worried  all  summer  at  the  fresh  spectacle  of  delay  and 
stupidity  which  was  presented  to  him.  His  advice  was 
disregarded,  and  all  the  weary  business  of  building  new 
roads  through  the  wilderness  was  once  more  undertaken. 
A  detachment,  sent  forward  contrary  to  his  views,  met 
with  the  fate  of  Braddock,  and  as  the  summer  passed,  and 
autumn  changed  to  winter,  it  looked  as  if  nothing  would 
be  gained  in  return  for  so  much  toil  and  preparation.  But 
Pitt  had  conquered  the  Ohio  in  Canada,  news  arrived  of 
the  withdrawal  of  the  French,  the  army  pressed  on,  and, 
with  Washington  in  the  van,  marching  into  the  smoking 
ruins  of  Fort  Duquesne,  henceforth  to  be  known  to  the 
world  as  Fort  Pitt. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  90. 

A  Brief  but  Courtly  Courtship 

As  the  story  runs,  Colonel  Washington,  attended  by 
his  servant  Bishop,  was  crossing  William's  Ferry,  which 
was  directly  opposite  the  Chamberlayne  house,  on  his  way 
to  the  capital  of  the  colony,  where  he  had  some  business  of 
importance  with  the  Governor.  Major  Chamberlayne  met 
him  at  the  ferry,  and  pressed  him  to  accept  the  hospitality 
of  his  house  for  a  day  or  two.  Colonel  Washington  at  first 
declined,  in  consequence  of  the  important  business  that 
claimed  his  presence  in  Williamsburg ;  but  when  the  hospi- 
table gentleman  added  to  his  persuasions  the  inducement 
that  the  loveliest  widow  in  all  Virginia  was  under  his  roof, 
the  young  officer  loosed  his  bridle  rein,  accepted  the  invita- 
tion to  dine  with  Major  Chamberlayne,  and  gave  Bishop 
orders  to  have  the  horses  ready  for  departure  at  an  early 
hour  in  the  afternoon. 

The  story  of  this  brief  soldierly  wooing  has  often  been 


THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING        163 

told,  but  by  no  person  who  had  better  opportunities  of 
giving  a  correct  version  of  it  than  Mr.  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  in 
his  "Recollections  of  Washington:"  He  says  that  "they 
were  mutually  pleased  on  this  their  first  interview,  nor  is  it 
remarkable;  they  were  of  an  age  when  impressions  are 
strongest.  The  lady  was  fair  to  behold,  of  fascinating 
manners  and  splendidly  endowed  with  worldly  benefits. 
The  hero  fresh  from  his  early  fields,  redolent  of  fame,  and 
with  a  form  on  which  'every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal, 
to  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man.'  The  morning 
passed  pleasantly  away.  Evening  came,  with  Bishop,  true 
to  his  orders,  firm  at  his  post,  holding  his  favorite  charger 
with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  was  waiting  to 
offer  the  ready  stirrup.  The  sun  sank  in  the  horizon,  yet 
the  colonel  appeared  not.  And  then  the  old  soldier  mar- 
veled at  his  chief's  delay.  'Twas  strange,  'twas  passing 
strange,' — surely  he  was  not  wont  to  be  a  single  moment 
behind  his  appointments,  for  he  was  the  most  punctual  of 
all  men.  Meantime  the  host  enjoyed  the  scene  of  the 
veteran  on  duty  at  the -gate  while  the  Colonel  was  so  agree- 
ably employed  in  the  parlor,  and  proclaiming  that  no  guest 
ever  left  his  house  after  sunset,  his  military  visitor  was, 
without  much  difficulty,  persuaded  to  order  Bishop  to  put 
up  the  horses  for  the  night.  The  sun  rode  high  in  the 
heavens  the  ensuing  day  when  the  enamored  soldier  pressed 
with  his  spur  his  charger's  side,  and  speeded  on  his  way  to 
the  seat  of  the  government." 

Upon  his  return  from  Williamsburg,  Colonel  Wash- 
ington visited  Mrs.  Custis  in  her  own  house.  Tradition  says 
that  upon  this  occasion  the  lover  was  rowed  across  the 
river  by  a  slave,  who,  when  asked  whether  his  mistress  was 
at  home,  replied,  "Yes,  sah,  I  reckon  you's  the  man  what's 
expected" ;  which  proves  that  the  fair  widow  was  in  readi- 
ness to  receive  her  guest.  The  engagement  evidently  took 
place  during  this  visit,  as  the  lovers  did  not  meet  again 
until  the  time  of  their  marriage,  the  following  January. 

Martha  Washington,  Anne  Hollingsworth  Wharton,  p.  32. 


1 64  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"A  Few  Words"  to  His  Affianced 

(Letter  to  Mrs.  Martha  Custis.) 

"JULY  20,  1758. 

"We  have  begun  our  march  for  the  Ohio.  A  courier  is 
starting  for  Williamsburg,  and  I  embrace  the  opportunity 
to  send  a  few  words  to  one  whose  life  is  now  inseparable 
from  mine.  Since  that  happy  hour  when  we  made  our 
pledges  to  each  other,  my  thoughts  have  been  continually 
going  to  you  as  another  self.  That  an  all-powerful  Provi- 
dence may  keep  us  both  in  safety  is  the  prayer  of  your  ever 
faithful  and  affectionate  friend," 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings- of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  6. 

"The  Story  of  an  Untold  Love'' 

It  has  been  asserted  that  Washington  loved  the  wife 
of  his  friend  George  William  Fairfax,  but  the  evidence  has 
not  been  produced.  On  the  contrary,  though  the  two 
corresponded,  it  was  in  a  purely  platonic  fashion,  very 
different  from  the  strain  of  lovers,  and  that  the  corre- 
spondence implied  nothing  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  he 
and  Sally  Carlyle  (another  Fairfax  daughter)  also  wrote 
each  other  quite  as  frequently  and  on.  the  same  friendly 
footing;  indeed,  Washington  evidently  classed  them  in  the 
same  category,  when  he  stated  that  "  I  have  wrote  to  my 
two  female  correspondents."  Thus  the  claim  seems  due, 
like  many  another  of  Washington's  mythical  love-affairs, 
rather  to  the  desire  of  descendants  to  link  their  family 
"to  a  star"  than  to  more  substantial  basis.  Washington 
did,  indeed,  write  to  Sally  Fairfax  from  the  frontier,  "I 
should  think  our  time  more  agreeably  spent,  believe  me, 
in  playing  a  part  in  Cato,  with  the  company  you  mention, 
and  myself  doubly  happy  in  being  the  Juba  to  such  a 
Marcia  as  you  must  make,"  but  private  theatricals  then 


THE  YOUNG  COLONEL  GOES  COURTING         165 


no  more  than  now  implied  "passionate  love."  What  is 
more,  Mrs.  Fairfax  was  at  this  very  time  teasing  him  about 
another  woman,  and  to  her  hints  Washington  replied: 

"If  you  allow  that  any  honor  can  be  derived  from  my 
opposition  .  .  .  you  destroy  the  merit  of  it  entirely 
in  me  by  attributing  my  anxiety  to  the  animating  prospect 
of  possessing  Mrs.  Custis,  when — I  need  not  tell  you,  guess 
yourself.  Should  not  my  own  Honor  and  the  country's 
welfare  be  the  excitement?  'Tis  true  I  profess  myself  a 
votary  of  love.  I  acknowledge  that  a  lady  is  in  the  case, 
and  further  I  confess  that  this  lady  is  known  to  you.  Yes, 
Madame,  as  well  as  she  is  one  who  is  too  sensible  of  her 
charms  to  deny  the  Power  whose  influence  he  feels  and 
must  ever  submit  to.  I  feel  the  force  of  her  amiable  beauties 
in  the  recollection  of  a  thousand  tender  passages  that  I 
would  wish  to  obliterate,  till  I  am  bid  revive  them.  But 
experience,  alas!  sadly  reminds  me  how  impossible  this  is, 
and  evinces  an  opinion  which  I  have  long  entertained  that 
there  is  a  Destiny  which  has  the  control  of  our  actions,  not 
to  be  resisted  by  the  strongest  efforts  of  Human  Nature. 
You  have  drawn  me,  dear  Madame,  or  rather  I  have  drawn 
myself,  into  an  honest  confession  of  a  simple  Fact.  Mis- 
construe not  my  meaning;  doubt  it  not,  nor  expose  it. 
The  world  has  no  business  to  know  the  object  of  my  love, 
declared  in  this  manner  to  you,  when  I  want  to  conceal  it. 
One  thing  above  all  things  in  this  world  I  wish  to  know, 
and  only  one  person  of  your  acquaintance  can  solve  me 
that,  or  guess  my  meaning?" 

The  Trite  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  91. 

The  Fall  of  Fort  Duquesne 

As  they  approached  Fort  Duquesne,  the  mementos  of 
former  disasters  became  more  frequent ;  and  the  bones  of 
those  massacred  in  the  defeat  of  Braddock  still  lay  scattered 
about  the  battlefield,  whitening  in  the  sun. 

At  length  the  army  arrived  in  sight  of  Fort  Duquesne, 


1 66  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

advancing  with  great  precaution,  and  expecting  a  vigorous 
defense ;  but  that  formidable  fortress,  the  terror  and  scourge 
of  the  frontier,  and  the  object  of  such  warlike  enterprise, 
fell  without  a  blow.  .  .  On  the  25th  of  November, 
Washington,  with  the  advanced  guard,  marched  in,  and 
planted  the  British  flag  on  the  yet  smoking  ruins. 

One  of  the  first  offices  of  the  army  was  to  collect  and 
bury,  in  one  common  tomb,  the  bones  of  their  fellow- 
soldiers  who  had  fallen  in  the  battles  of  Braddock  and 
Grant.  In  this  pious  duty  it  is  said  every  one  joined ;  and 
some  veterans  assisted,  with  heavy  hearts  and  frequent 
ejaculations  of  poignant  feeling,  who  had  been  present  in 
the  scenes  of  defeat  and  carnage. 

The  reduction  of  Fort  Duquesne  terminated,  as  Wash- 
ington had  foreseen,  the  troubles  and  dangers  of  the  southern 
frontiers.  The  French  domination  of  the  Ohio  was  at  an 
end;  the  Indians,  as  usual,  paid  homage  to  the  conquering 
power,  and  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  with  all  the  tribes 
between  the  Ohio  and  the  lakes. 

With  this  campaign  ended,  for  the  present,  the  military 
career  of  Washington.  His  great  object  was  attained,  the 
restoration  of  quiet  and  security  to  his  native  province ;  and 
having  abandoned  all  hope  of  attaining  rank  in  the  regular 
army,  and  his  health  being  much  impaired,  he  gave  up  his 
commission  at  the  close  of  the  year,  and  retired  from  the 
service,  followed  by  the  applause  of  his  fellow-soldiers,  and 
the  gratitude  and  admiration  of  all  his  countrymen. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  I.  p.  337. 

Elected  to  the  House  of  Burgesses 

Washington's  anxiety  to  end  the  Fort  Duquesne  ex- 
pedition and  the  war  must  have  made  him  an  intolerable 
bore  to  everyone  with  whom  he  came  in  contact — every 
one  but  Mrs.  Custis,  of  course.  About  this  time  it  was 
natural  that  Washington  should  have  had  more  than  his 
ordinarily  high  regard  for  his  personal  appearance;  for  a 


i67 


man  who  is  in  love  and  has  been  accepted,  always  betrays 
his  secret  by  a  general  improvement  of  his  dress.  Washing- 
ton, on  the  contrary,  went  to  the  opposite  extremes.  The 
uniform  of  the  army,  like  that  of  all  other  armies  of  the 
period,  was  inexpressibly  inappropriate  to  soldiers  whose 
only  duties  were  not  drill,  parade,  and  lounging,  so  Wash- 
ington reformed  it.  The  cumbrous,  heavy  coats  were 
exchanged  for  thick  flannel  shirts,  and  the  top  coats  for 
blankets,  so  that  every  volunteer  became  as  unsightly  and 
personally  effective  as  an  Indian.  To  popularize  this  dress, 
Washington  himself  wore  it,  though  probably  .not  in  the 
presence  of  his  sweetheart,  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted 
that  no  one  thought  to  paint  his  picture  at  that  time,  for 
the  picture  would  have  impressed  the  man  upon  the  public 
mind  with  an  informal  distinctness  that  would  have  been 
proof  against  all  subsequent  Fourth  of  July  nonsense. 

As  Washington  purposed  retiring  from  military  service 
at  the  close  of  the  campaign,  he  proposed  himself  for  election 
to  the  House  of  Burgesses.  This  move  must  not  be  con- 
strued to  indicate  the  usual  desire  of  retired  soldiers  to  go 
into  politics,  for  in  Washington's  day  American  legislators 
devoted  themselves  to  public  business,  instead  of  personal 
aggrandizement.  Although  the  county  for  which  he  stood 
was  one  in  which  he  had  frequently  been  obliged  to  enforce 
military  customs  that  were  distasteful  to  the  voters'  pockets, 
and  although  he  did  not  make  a  stump  speech,  he  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  54. 


Washington  sent  on  a  mission  to  the  French 1753 

Franklin  announces  that  the  Colonies  must  "Unite 

or  Die,"  at  the  Albany  Convention  J7S4 

Braddock  defeated  at  Fort  Duquesne 1755 

Fort  Duquesne  taken  and  named  Fort  Pitt  by  the 

English 1758 

Washington's  marriage January  6,  1759 

•Wolf  captures  Quebec 1759 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON 
The  Sunshine  and  Glitter  of  the  Wedding  Day 

As  soon  as  Fort  Duquesne  had  failed  he  hurried  home, 
resigned  his  commission  in  the  last  week  of  December,  and 
was  married  on  January  6,1759.  It  was  a  brilliant  wedding 
party  which  assembled  on  that  winter  day  in  the  little 
church  near  the  White  House.  There  were  gathered 
Francis  Fauquier,  the  gay,  free-thinking,  high-living  gov- 
ernor, gorgeous  in  scarlet  and  gold;  British  officers,  red- 
coated  and  gold-laced,  and  all  the  neighboring  gentry  in  the 
handsomest  clothes  that  London  credit  could  furnish.  The 
bride  was  attired  in  silk  and  satin,  laces  and  brocade,  with 
pearls  on  her  neck  and  in  her  ears;  while  the  bridegroom 
appeared  in  blue  and  silver  trimmed  with  scarlet,  and  with 
gold  buckles  at  his  knees  and  on  his  shoes.  After  the 
ceremony  the  bride  was  taken  home  in  a  coach  and  six, 
her  husband  riding  beside  her,  mounted  on  a  splendid 
horse  and  followed  by  all  the  gentlemen  of  the  party. 

The  sunshine  and  glitter  of  the  wedding-day  must 
have  appeared  to  Washington  deeply  appropriate,  for  he 
certainly  seemed  to  have  all  that  heart  of  man  could  desire. 
Just  twenty-seven,  in  the  first  flush  of  young  manhood, 
keen  of  sense  and  yet  wise  in  experience,  life  must  have 
looked  very  fair  and  smiling.  He  had  left  the  army  with 
a  well-earned  fame,  and  had  come  home  to  take  the  wife 
of  his  choice  and  enjoy  the  good-will  and  respect  of  all  men. 
While  away  on  his  last  campaign  he  had  been  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  and  when  he  took  his 
seat  on  removing  to  Williamsburg,  three  months  after  his 
marriage,  Mr.  Robinson,  the  speaker,  thanked  him  publicly 

(168) 


*PO- 


Engraved  'by  J .  itoyers  from   the  Painting  by  John  Woolaston. 
MRS    MARTHA   DANDRIDGE   CUSTIS   WASHINGTON 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  169 


in  eloquent  words  for  his  services  to  the  country.  Wash- 
ington rose  to  reply,  but  he  was  so  utterly  unable  to  talk 
about  himself  that  he  stood  before  the  House  stammering 
and  blushing,  until  the  speaker  said,  "  Sit  down,  Mr.  Wash- 
ington ;  your  modesty  equals  your  valor,  and  that  surpasses 
the  power  of  any  language  I  possess."  It  is  an  old  story, 
and  as  graceful  as  it  is  old,  but  it  was  all  very  grateful  to 
Washington,  especially  as  the  words  of  the  speaker  bodied 
forth  the  feelings  of  Virginia.  Such  an  atmosphere,  filled 
with  deserved  respect  and  praise,  was  pleasant  to  begin 
with,  and  then  he  had  everything  else  too.  « 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  98. 

Married  Life  at  Mount  Vernon 

For  sixteen  years  George  Washington,  benedict,  was 
permitted  to  pursue,  at  Mount  Vernon,  the  life  of  an  En- 
glish country  gentleman.  His  wife,  one  of  the  most  wealthy 
women  of  the  country,  was  unable  to  manage  her  large 
estates,  and  Washington,  of  course,  added  this  care  to  his 
own.  Aside  from  his  father's  small  legacy,  the  death  of 
his  half-brother,  Lawrence,  and  of  Lawrence's  only  child, 
had  left  Mount  Vernon  and  other  valuable  properties  to 
him.  Like  other  Virginia  planters,  Washington  owned 
slaves.  He  deplored  this  necessity  and  always  used  his 
influence  to  have  the  institution  abolished  gradually  and 
legally.  He  cared  for  his  wife's  children  and  looked  after 
their  estates.  When  the  daughter  "Patsy"  Custis  died, 
her  property  reverted  to  her  mother,  adding  greatly  to  the 
wealth  of  the  Washingtons.  The  master  of  Mount  Vernon 
ordered  wearing  apparel,  liveries  for  his  servants,  equipages, 
harness,  and  accoutrements  from  England.  The  Wash- 
ingtons entertained  hospitably,  kept  a  bench  and  a  stud, 
and  rode  to  hounds  with  the  Fairfaxes  and  others  of  the 
neighboring  gentry.  When  Mrs.  Washington  rode  out  she 
had  her  coach  and  four  and  was  attended  by  black  postilions 
in  white  and  scarlet. 


1 70  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

For  years  after  the  French  and  Indian  War,  Colonel 
Washington  was  the  champion  of  his  former  soldiers, 
looking  after  the  interests  of  many  of  them,  once  taking  a 
journey  down  the  Ohio  into  the  wilds  of  Kentucky  to  claim 
lands  which  some  men,  who  could  not  afford  to  go  them- 
selves, had  received  in  payment  of  their  services  with  him 
on  the  frontier.  One  of  these,  a  major  who  had  been 
reproved  for  cowardice  at  Great  Meadows,  thinking  he  had 
been  omitted  in  the  distribution  of  land,  wrote  an  abusive 
letter  to  Washington  about  it.  To  him  the  Colonel  replied : 

"  Your  impertinent  letter  was  delivered  to  me  yesterday. 
As  I  am  not  accustomed  to  receive  such  from  any  man,  nor 
would  have  taken  the  same  language  from  you  personally 
without  letting  you  feel  some  marks  of  my  resentment,  I 
would  advise  you  to  be  cautious  in  writing  me  a  second  of 
the  same  tenor.  But  for  your  stupidity  and  sottishness 
you  might  have  known,  by  attending  to  a  public  gazette, 
that  you  had  your  full  quantity  of  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land  allowed  you.  But  suppose  you  had  really  fallen  short, 
do  you  think  your  superlative  merit  entitles  you  to  a  greater 
indulgence  than  others?  .  .  .  All  my  concern  is  that 
I  ever  engaged  in  behalf  of  so  ungrateful  a  fellow  as  you  are." 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar  Wayne  Whipple,  July  31  to  Aug.  6,  1910. 

Taking  Charge  of  the  Custis  Estate 

"  WILLIAMSBURG,  i  May,  1759. 
"  To  Robert  Gary,  Merchant,  London. 

"Sir, — The  enclosed  is  the  clergyman's  certificate  of 
my  marriage  with  Mrs.  Martha  Custis,  properly  authen- 
ticated. You  will  therefore  for  the  future  please  address 
all  your  letters  which  relate  to  the  affairs  of  the  late  Daniel 
Parke  Custis  to  me,  as  by  marriage  I  am  entitled  to  a  third 
part  of  that  estate,  and  am  invested  likewise  with  a  can; 
of  the  other  two- thirds  by  a  decree  of  our  General  Court', 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  171 

which  I  obtained  in  order  to  strengthen  the  power  I  before 
had  in  consequence  of  my  wife's  administration. 

"At  present  this  serves  only  to  advise  you  of  the 
above  change,  and  at  the  same  time  to  acquaint  you  that 
I  shall  continue  to  make  you  the  same  consignments  of 
tobacco  as  usual,  and  will  endeavor  to  increase  them  in 
proportion  as  I  find  myself  and  the  estate  benefited  thereby. 

"  On  the  other  side  is  an  invoice  of  some  goods  which 
I  beg  you  to  send  me  by  the  first  ship  bound  either  for  the 
Potomac  or  to  the  Rappahannock,  as  I  am  in  immediate 
want  of  them.  Let  them  be  insured,  and  in  case  of  accident, 
reshipped  without  delay.  Direct  for  me  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Potomac  River,  Virginia.  The  former  is  the  name  of  my 
seat,  and  the  other  of  the  river  on  which  it  is  situated. " 

About  a  year  after  this  he  had  occasion  to  write  sub- 
stantially as  follows:  "By  this  conveyance  you  will  receive 
invoices  of  such  goods  as  are  wanting,  which  please  to  send 
as  there  directed  by  Captain  J.,  in  the  spring,  and  let  me 
beseech  you  to  give  the  necessary  directions  for  purchasing 
them  upon  the  best  terms.  It  is  needless  for  me  to  par- 
ticularize the  sorts,  qualities  or  taste  I  would  choose  to  have 
them  in,  unless  my  directions  are  observed;  and  you  may 
believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  instead  of  getting  things 
good  and  fashionable  in  their  several  kinds,  we  often  have 
articles  sent  us  that  could  only  have  been  used  by  our 
forefathers  in  days  of  yore. 

"It  is  a  custom,  I  have  some  reason  to  believe,  with 
many  of  the  shopkeepers  and  tradesmen  of  London,  when 
they  know  goods  are  bespoken  for  exportation  to  palm 
sometimes  very  old,  and  sometimes  very  slight  and  indif- 
ferent ones  upon  us — taking  care  at  the  same  time  to 
advance  ten,  fifteen,  or  perhaps  twenty  per  cent,  upon 
them  in  price. " 

Washington,  Jacob  Abbott,  p.   70. 
1-13 


172  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


A  Kind  and  Indulgent  Stepfather 

It  is  reported  that  he  was  a  good  stepfather,  and,  to 
quote  from  England's  new  national  anthem,  "it's  greatly 
to  his  credit,"  for  usually  the  first  move  of  a  man  who 
marries  a  pretty  widow  is  to  get  her  children  out  of  the  way 
by  sending  them  off  to  boarding-school.  But  Washington 
loved  the  Custis  children.  He  did  all  in  his  power  to 
prevent  his  stepson  making  a  fool  of  himself  by  marrying 
too  early,  and  when  Miss  Custis  was  on  her  death-bed  her 
stepfather  was  not  ashamed  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time 
on  his  knees  in  prayer  for -her  recovery.  Indeed,  he  seems 
never  to  have  outlived  the  habit  of  praying;  like  every 
other  man  of  noble  nature,  high  aspirations,  and  trying 
experiences,  he  frequently  came  upon  times  when  the 
Almighty  was  the  only  being  to  whom  he  could  talk  without 
being  misunderstood. 

He  was  one  of  the  very  few  Southern  planters  who 
considered  that  no  man  was  too  good  to  manage  his  own 
business.  Instead  of  lying  abed  far  into  the  morning, 
getting  up  with  a  headache,,  and  making  a  household 
nuisance  of  himself,  he  arose  early  and  saw  that  the  day's 
work  of  the  plantation  was  properly  started.  He  could 
handle  a  shovel  or  ax,  and  he  invented  a  plow,  had  it  made 
in  one  of  his  shops,  and  tested  it  with  his  own  carriage 
horses.  He  owned  slaves  and  kept  them  busy,  but  there 
is  no  record  of  his  having  "licked  his  nigger,"  and  by  his 
will  he  provided  for  the  freeing  of  them  all;  he  had  long 
desired  to  do  this  and  was  prevented  only  by  the  family 
complications  which  the  Custis  blacks  and  his  own  had 
formed  by  marrying. 

In  short,  Washington  was  a  model  young  man.  We 
have  alleged  models  for  youth  nowadays,  but  they  are 
short,  slight,  feeble  in  health,  and  feeble  of  will ;  their  blood 
is  thin,  their  arms  small,  their  eyes  weak,  and  their  heads 
weaker.  They  do  nothing  wrong,  for  about  the  same 
reason  that  a  corpse  refrains  from  sin,  but  they  do  nothing 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  173 

right  except  as  a  matter  of  habit  and  superior  convenience. 
They  do  not  force  themselves  upon  society,  for  they  have 
no  force,  nor  anything  to  sustain  them  when  among  other 
men.     But  Washington  was  evidently  a  fine  specimen  of 
physical  manhood;  tall,  broad,  deep-chested,  hot-blooded, 
rich,  admired  by  every  one,  he  had  every  physical  quality 
and  personal  environment  that  is  named  when  men  explain 
how  certain  other  fine  fellows  have  gone  to  the  bad.     But 
instead  of  aping  the  English  "blood,"  as  most  of  the  lively, 
well-to-do  young  fellows  of  the  present  day  are  doing,  he 
established  a  standard  for  the  American  blood.     He  was 
a  faithful  husband,  and  a  very  affectionate  brevet  parent. 
He  was  a  staunch  friend  and  an  honorable  master,  the  last 
named  capacity  being  the  rarest  of  all  in  which  men  excel. 
He  never  was  too  proud,  lazy,  or  careless  to  manage  his 
own  business,  and  in  his  dealings  with  other  men  his  honesty 
did  not  begin  and  end  with  paying  his  debts.     He  used  the 
world  without  abusing  it,  enjoying  many  a  good    dinner, 
dance,   fox-hunt,  and  horse-race,  yet  he  attended  church 
as  regularly  as  he  went  to  more  festive  gatherings,  and  was 
equal  to  an  immense  amount  of  praying  when  occasion 
demanded  it.     Neither  riches  nor  personal   feeling  could 
make  him  ashamed  to  go  to  the  legislature,  or,  when  there, 
to  make  speeches  for  the  sake  of  hearing  himself  talk,  or 
burden  the  mails  with  printed  reproductions  of  his  efforts; 
yet  when  the  occasion  for  talk  was  really  presented,  he 
showed  himself  as  eloquent  a  speaker  as  was  on  record  in 
America.     Instead  of  straining  always  for  something  new, 
he  had  the  noble  quality  of  contentment,   striving  in  all 
public  and  private  affairs  to  make  the  most  of  a  bird  in 
hand,    rather   than   chase   phantasmal   flocks   and   coveys 
through  unfamiliar  bushes.     If  any  young  man  has,  through 
familiarity  with  Washington's  name  and  alleged  lineaments, 
been  inclined  to  regard  the  Father  of  His  Country  as  a 
prig,  let  him  search  history  and  tradition  for  a  finer  illus- 
tration of  what  a  full-blooded  man  should  be. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  59- 


174  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Life  of  a  Virginia  Planter 

It  was  no  light  matter  to  be  a  Virginia  planter,  when 
one  had  so  high  a  standard  of  excellence  as  George  Wash- 
ington had.  The  main  crop  which  he  raised  was  tobacco, 
and  the  immediate  attention  which  it  required  was  only 
during  a  small  part  of  the  year;  but,  as  we  have  seen,  a 
successful  planter  was  also  a  man  of  business,  and  really 
the  governor  of  a  little  province.  Many  planters  con- 
tented themselves  with  leaving  the  care  of  their  estates  and 
their  negroes  to  overseers,  while  they  themselves  spent 
their  time  in  visiting  and  receiving  visits,  in  sport  and 
politics.  That  was  not  Washington's  way.  He  might 
easily  have  done  so,  for  he  had  money  enough;  but  such  a 
life  would  have  been  very  distasteful  to  a  man  who  had 
undergone  the  hardships  of  a  soldier,  and  had  acquired 
habits  of  thoroughness  and  of  love  of  work.  It  would 
have  been  no  pleasure  to  Washington  to  be  idle  and  self- 
indulgent,  while  seeing  his  fences  tumbling  down,  and 
knowing  that  he  was  spending  more  money  for  everything 
than  was  necessary.  The  man  who  attends  to  his  own 
affairs,  and  sees  everything  thriving  under  wise  manage- 
ment, is  the  most  contented  man,  and  Washington's  heart 
was  in  his  work. 

So  he  looked  after  everything  himself.  He  rose  early, 
often  before  light,  when  the  days  were  short.  He  break- 
fasted lightly  at  seven  in  the  summer  and  at  eight  in  the 
winter,  and  after  breakfast  was  in  the  saddle  visiting  the 
different  parts  of  his  estate,  and  looking  after  any  improve- 
ments he  had  ordered.  He  was  a  splendid  horseman  and 
very  fond  of  breaking  in  new  horses.  Dinner  followed  at 
two  o'clock ;  lie  had  an  early  tea;  and  when  living  at 
home,  he  was  often  in  bed  by  nine  o'clock. 

These  were  regular  old-fashioned  hours,  and  the  life 
which  he  led  enabled  him  to  accomplish  a  vast  amount. 
He  kept  no  clerk,  but  wrote  out  in  his  large  round  hand  all 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  1 7  5 


his  letters  and  orders,  entered  every  item  in  his  day-book 
and  ledger,  and  was  scrupulously  exact  about  every  farthing 
of  his  accounts.  He  did  not  guess  how  he  stood  at  any 
time,  but  he  knew  precisely  how  last  year's  crop  compared 
with  this  year's;  how  many  head  of  cattle  he  had;  how 
many  acres  he  had  planted  with  tobacco;  what  wood  he 
had  cut ;  and  just  what  goods  he  had  ordered  from  London. 
He  had  been  appointed  by  the  court,  guardian  of  his  wife's 
two  children,  who  had  inherited  property  from  their  father ; 
and  he  kept  all  their  accounts  separate,  with  the  minutest 
care,  for  he  held  a  trust  to  be  sacred. 

Twice  a  year  he  sent  to  his  agent  in  London  a  list  of 
such  articles  as  he  needed;  there  were  plows,  hoes,  spades, 
and  other  agricultural  implements;  drugs,  groceries  of 
various  sorts,  clothes  both  for  his  family  and  for  his  negroes ; 
tools,  books,  busts  and  ornaments;  household  furniture, 
and  linen.  Indeed,  as  one  reads  the  long  invoices  which 
Washington  sent  to  London,  he  wonders  how  people  man- 
aged who  had  to  send  across  the  Atlantic  for  everything 
they  might  possibly  need  for  the  next  six  months.  Then 
there  were  special  orders  for  the  children;  for  "Master 
Custis,  six  years  old,"  there  were,  besides  Irish  holland, 
fine  cambric,  gloves,  shoes,  stockings,  hats,  combs,  and 
brushes,  such  items  as  these, — "one  pair  handsome  silver 
shoe  and  knee  buckles,  ten  shillings'  worth  of  toys,  and  six 
little  books,  for  children  beginning  to  read;"  while  for 
"Miss  Custis,  four  years  old,"  were  a  great  variety  of 
clothes,  including  "two  caps,  two  pairs  of  ruffles,  two 
tuckers,  bibs,  and  aprons  if  fashionable,"  and  finally,  a 
"fashionable  dressed  baby,  ten  shillings,  and  other  toys" 
to  the  same  amount. 

He  required  his  agent  to  send  him,  with  his  bill  for  all 
the  goods,  the  original  bills  of  the  merchants  who  sold  the 
goods  to  the  agent ;  then  he  copied  all  these  orders  and  bills, 
giving  every  item,  and  in  this  way  he  had  before  him  in  his 
books  an  exact  statement,  in  every  particular,  of  his  trans- 
actions. 


176  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

He  watched  the  market  closely,  and  knew  just  what  the 
varying  price  of  tobacco  was,  and  what  he  might  expect 
for  any  other  goods  which  he  sent  to  be  sold.  He  was 
determined  that  everything  from  his  plantation  should  be 
of  value  and 'should  receive  its  full  price.  So  high  a  reputa- 
tion did  he  secure  for  honesty  that  it  was  said  that  any 
barrel  of  flour  that  bore  the  brand  of  George  Washington, 
Mount  Vernon,  was  exempted  from  the  customary  inspec- 
tion in  the  West  Indian  ports. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  IOQ. 

Manufacturer  and  Fisherman  as  Well  as  Farmer 

The  magnitude  of  the  charge  of  such  an  estate  can  be 
better  understood  when  the  condition  of  a  Virginia  planta- 
ton  is  realized.  Before  the  Revolution  practically  every- 
thing the  plantation  could  not  produce  was  ordered  yearly 
from  Great  Britain,  and  after  the  annual  delivery  of  the 
invoices  the  estate  could  look  for  little  outside  help.  Nor 
did  this  change  rapidly  after  the  Revolution,  and  during 
the  period  of  Washington's  management  almost  everything 
was  bought  in  yearly  supplies.  This  system  compelled  each 
plantation  to  be  a  little  world  unto  itself ;  indeed,  the  three 
hundred  souls  on  the  Mount  Vernon  estate  went  far  to  make 
it  a  distinct  and  self-supporting  community,  and  one  of 
Washington's  standing  orders  to  his  overseers  was  to  "  buy 
nothing  you  can  make  yourselves."  Thus  the  planting 
and  gathering  of  the  crops  were  but  a  small  part  of  the  work 
to  be  done. 

A  corps  of  workmen — some  negroes,  some  indentured 
servants,  and  some  hired  laborers — were  kept  on  the 
estate.  A  blacksmith-shop  occupied  some,  doing  not  merely 
the  work  of  the  plantation,  but  whatever  business  was 
brought  to  them  from  outside;  and  a  wood-burner  kept 
them  and  the  mansion-house  supplied  with  charcoal.  A 
gang  of  carpenters  were  kept  busy,  and  their  spare  time  was 
utilized  in  framing  houses  to  be  put  up  in  Alexandria,  or  in 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  177 

the  "Federal  City/'  as  Washington  was  called  before  the 
death  of  its  namesake.  A  brick-maker,  too,  was  kept 
constantly  employed,  and  masons  utilized  the  product  of 
his  labor.  The  gardener's  gang  had  charge  of  the  kitchen- 
garden,  and  set  out  thousands  of  grape-vines,  fruit-trees, 
and  hedge-plants. 

A  water-mill,  with  its  staff,  not  merely  ground  meal  for 
the  hands,  but  produced  a  fine  flour  that  commanded  extra 
price  in  the  market.  In  1786  Washington  asserted  that  his 
flour  was  "equal,  I  believe,  in  quality  to  any  made  in  this 
country, ' '  and  the  Mount  Vernon  brand  was  of  such 
value  that  some  money  was  made  by  buying  outside  wheat 
and  grinding  it  into  flour.  The  coopers  of  the  estate  made 
the  barrels  in  which  it  was  packed,  and  Washington's 
schooner  carried  it  to  market. 

The  estate  had  its  own  shoemaker  and  in  time  a  staff 
of  weavers  was  trained.  Before  this  was  obtained,  in  1760, 
though  with  only  a  modicum  of  the  force  he  presently  had, 
Washington  ordered  from  London  "  450  ells  of  Osnabrig, 
4  pieces  of  Brown  Wools,  350  yards  of  Kendall  Cotton  and 
100  yards  of  Dutch  blanket."  By  1768  he  was  manu- 
facturing the  chief  part  of  his  requirements,  for  in  that  year 
his  weavers  produced  eight  hundred  and  fifteen  and  one- 
quarter  yards  of  linen,  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  and  one- 
quarter  yards  of  woolen,  one  hundred  and  forty-four  yards 
of  linsey,  and  forty  yards  of  cotton,  or  a  total  of  thirteen 
hundred  and  sixty-five  and  one-half  yards,  one  man  and 
five  negro  girls  having  been  employed.  When  once  the 
looms  were  well  organized  an  infinite  variety  of  cloths  was 
produced,  the  accounts  mentioning  "  striped  woolen,  woolen 
plaided,  cotton  striped,  linen,  wool-birdseye,  cotton  filled 
with  wool,  linsey,  M.'s  and  O.'s,  cotton  India  dimity,  cotton 
jump  stripe,  linen  filled  with  tow,  cotton  striped  with  silk, 
Roman  M.,  Janes  twilled,  huccabac,  broadcloth,  counter- 
pain,  birdseye  diaper,  kirsey  wool,  barragon,  fustian,  bed- 
ticking,  herring-box,  and  shalloon." 


178  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  estate  was 
its  fishery,  for  the  catch,  salted  down,  largely  served  in 
place  of  meat  for  the  negroes'  food.  Of  this  advantage 
Washington  wrote,  "This  river  ...  is  well  supplied 
with  various  kinds  of  fish  at  all  seasons  of  the  year;  and, 
in  the  spring,  with  the  greatest  profusion  of  shad,  herrings, 
bass,  carp,  perch,  sturgeon,  &c.  Several  valuable  fisheries 
appertain  to  the  estate;  the  whole  shore,  in  short,  is  one 
entire  fishery. "  Whenever  there  was  a  run  of  fish,  the  seine 
was  drawn,  chiefly  for  herring  and  shad,  and  in  good  years 
this  not  merely  amply  supplied  the  home  requirements,  but 
allowed  of  sales;  four  or  five  shillings  the  thousand  for 
herring  and  ten  shillings  the  hundred  for  shad  were  the 
average  prices,  and  sales  of  as  high  as  eighty-five  thousand 
herring  were  made  in  a  single  year. 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  120. 

Where  to  Build  the  New  Church 

There  was  always  a  Washington  to  surprise  people. 
There  was  the  still,  self-controlled,  grave  man,  who  suddenly 
flashed  forth  a  resolute  act,  seizing  the  opportunity,  and 
doing  the  one  thing  which  was  instantly  demanded;  and 
there  was  the  quick-tempered  fiery  man  who  held  himself  in 
check,  waited  for  other  people  to  speak  and  act,  and  then 
came  forward  with  a  few  plain,  deliberate  words,  which 
showed  that  he  had  grasped  the  whole  situation,  and  could 
be  depended  on  to  carry  through  his  resolution  patiently 
and  persistently. 

There  were,  as  I  have  said,  few  towns  in  Virginia. 
The  divisions  were  by  parishes,  after  the  old  English  custom, 
and  so  when  a  man  was  of  importance  in  his  neighborhood 
he  was  very  apt  to  be  a  vestryman  in  his  parish.  Mount 
Vernon  was  in  Truro  parish,  and  Washington  was  a  vestry- 
man there,  as  also  in  Fairfax  parish.  It  happened  that  the 
church  of  Truro  parish  had  fallen  into  decay,  and  was  in 
sorry  condition.  It  was  necessary  to  build  a  new  one,  and 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  179 

several  meetings  were  held,  for  two  parties  had  sprung  up, 
one  wished  to  rebuild  on  the  same  spot ;  and  another  urging 
some  location  more  convenient  to  the  parishioners,  for  the 
place  where  the  old  church  had  stood  was  not  a  central  one. 
Finally  a  meeting  was  called  to  settle  the  matter.  One  of 
Washington's  friends,  George  Mason,  a  man  of  fine  speech, 
rose  up  and  spoke  most  eloquently  in  favor  of  holding  to  the 
old  site;  there  their  fathers  had  worshipped,  and  there  had 
their  bodies  been  laid  to  rest.  Every  one  seemed  moved 
and  ready  to  accept  Mason's  proposal. 

Washington  had  also  come  prepared  with  a  plea.  He 
had  not  Mason's  power  of  speech,  but  he  took  from  his  pocket 
a  roll  of  paper  and  spread  it  before  the  meeting.  On  this 
sheet  he  had  drawn  off  a  plan  of  Truro  parish;  upon  the 
plan  were  marked  plainly  the  site  of  the  old  church,  the  place 
where  every  parishioner  lived,  and  the  spot  which  he  advised 
for  the  site  for  the  new  church.  He  said  very  little;  he 
simply  showed  the  people  his  survey,  and  let  them  see  for 
themselves  that  every  consideration  of  convenience  and 
fairness  pointed  to  the  new  site  as  the  one  to  be  chosen.  It 
was  central,  and  no  one  could  fail  to  see  that  the  church 
was  first  of  all  for  the  living.  His  argument  was  the  argu- 
ment of  good  sense  and  reasonableness,  and  it  carried  the 
day  against  Mason's  eloquent  speech.  Pohick  Church, 
which  was  built  on  the  new  site,  was  constructed  from  plans 
which  Washington  himself  drew. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  116. 

Pleasantest  Glimpses  of  Family  Feeling 

The  pleasantest  glimpses  of  family  feeling  are  gained, 
however,  in  his  relations  with  his  wife's  children  and  grand- 
children. John  Parke  and  Martha  Parke  Custis — or  "  Jack  " 
and  "Patsy,"  as  he  called  them — were  at  the  date  of  his 
marriage  respectively  six  and  four  years  of  age,  and  in  the 
first  invoice  of  goods  to  be  shipped  to  him  from  London  after 
he  had  become  their  stepfather,  Washington  ordered  "  10 


i8o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

shillings  worth  fo  Toys, "  "  6  little  books  for  children  begin- 
ning to  read,"  and  "i  fashionable-dressed  baby  to  cost  10 
shillings."  When  this  latter  shared  the  usual  fate,  he  fur- 
ther wrote  for  "  i  fashionable  dress  Doll  to  cost  a  guinea," 
and  for  "a  box  of  Gingerbread  Toys  &  Sugar  Images  or 
Comfits."  A  little  later  he  ordered  a  Bible  and  Prayer- 
Book  for  each,  "neatly  bound  in  Turkey,"  with  names 
"  in  gilt  letters  on  the  inside  of  the  cover,  "  followed  ere  long 
by  an  order  for  "  i  very  good  Spinet."  As  Patsy  grew 
to  girlhood  she  developed  fits,  and  "  solely  on  her  account 
to  try  (by  the  advice  of  her  Physician)  the  effect  of  the  waters 
on  her  Complaint,"  Washington  took. the  family  over  the 
mountains  and  camped  at  the  "Warm  Springs"  in  1769, 
with  "little  benefit,"  for,  after  ailing  four  years  longer, 
"she  was  seized  with  one  of  her  usual  Fits  &  expired  in 
it,  in  less  than  two  minutes  without  uttering  a  word,  or 
groan,  or  scarce  a  sigh."  "The  Sweet  Innocent  Girl," 
Washington  wrote,  "  entered  into  a  more  happy  &  peaceful 
abode  than  she  has  met  with  in  the  afflicted  Path  she  has 
hitherto  trod,"  but  none  the  less  "it  is  an  easier  matter 
to  conceive  than  to  describe  the  distress  of  this  family"  at 
the  loss  of  ".dear  Patsy  Custis. " 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  29. 

Beating  a  Rascally  Poacher 

He  hunted  almost  every  day  in  the  season,  usually 
with  success,  but  always  with  persistence.  Like  all  true 
sportsmen  Washington  had  a  horror  of  illicit  sport  of  any 
kind,  and  although  he  shot  comparatively  little,  he  was 
much  annoyed  by  a  vagabond  who  lurked  in  the  creeks 
and  inlets  on  his  estate,  and  slaughtered  his  canvas- 
back  ducks.  Hearing  the  report  of  a  gun  one  morning,  he 
rode  through  the  bushes  and  saw  his  poaching  friend  just 
shoving  off  in  a  canoe.  The  rascal  raised  his  gun  and  cov- 
ered his  pursuer,  whereupon  Washington,  the  cold-blooded 
and  patient  person  so  familiar  in  the  myths,  dashed  his 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  181 


horse  headlong  into  the  water,  seized  the  gun,  grasped  the 
canoe,  and  dragging  it  ashore  pulled  the  man  out  of  the  boat 
and  beat  him  soundly.  If  the  man  had  yielded  at  once  he 
would  probably  have  got  off  easily  enough,  but  when  he  put 
Washington's  life  in  imminent  peril,  the  wild  fighting  spirit 
flared  up  as  usual. 

The  hunting  season  was  of  course  that  of  the  most 
lavish  hospitality.  There  was  always  a  great  deal  of  dining 
about,  but  Mount  Vernon  was  the  chief  resort,  and  its  doors, 
ever  open,  were  flung  far  back  when  people  came  for  a 
meet,  or  gathered  to  talk  over  the  events  of  a  good  run. 
Company  was  the  rule  and  solitude  the  exception.  When 
only  the  family  were  at  dinner,  the  fact,  was  written  down 
in  the  diary  with  great  care  as  an  unusual  event,  for  Wash- 
ington was  the  soul  of  hospitality,  and  although  he  kept 
early  hours,  he  loved  society  and  a  houseful  of  people. 
Profoundly  reserved  and  silent  as  to  himself,  a  lover  of 
solitude  so  far  as  his  own  thoughts  and  feelings  were  con- 
cerned, he  was  far  from  being  a  solitary  man  in  the  ordinary 
acceptation  of  the  word.  He  liked  life  and  gaiety  and  con- 
versation, he  liked  music  and  dancing  or  a  game  of  cards 
when  the  weather  was  bad,  and  he  enjoyed  heartily  the 
presence  of  young  people  and  of  his  own  friends.  So  Mount 
Vernon  was  always  full  of  guests,  and  the  master  noted  in 
his  diary  that  although  he  owned  more  than  a  hundred  cows 
he  was  obliged,  nevertheless,  to  buy  butter,  which  suggests 
an  experience  not  unknown  to  gentlemen  farmers  of  any 
period,  and  also  that  company  was  never  lacking  in  that 
generous,  open  house  overlooking  the  Potomac. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  112. 

A  Facetious  Letter 

President  Taft  said  in  the  course  of  his  speech  to  the 
Jerseymen  on  Washington's  birthday  that  he  was  not  keen 
to  institute  comparisons  between  the  first  President  and  his 
successors,  but  there  was  one  thing  he  should  like  to  know, 


1 82  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  that  was  whether  Mr.  Washington  had  a  sense  of  humor. 
He  had  never  seen  any  evidences  of  it.  We  commend  to 
the  President's  attention  the  following  illuminating  docu- 
ment now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Julian  E.  Ingle,  Jr.,  of 
this  city,  who  is  a  great-great-great-nephew  of  both 
George  and  Martha: 

Mount  Vernon,  28th  August,  1762. 
Dear  Sir: — I  was  favoured  with  your  Epistle  wrote  on 
a  certain  25th  of  July,  when  you  ought  to  have  been  at 
Church,  praying  as  becomes  every  good  Christian  Man  who 
has  as  much  to  answer  for  as  you  have — strange  it  is  that 
you  will  be  so  blind  to  truth  that  the  enlightning  sounds 
of  the  Gospel  cannot  reach  your  Ear,  nor  no  Examples 
awaken  you  to  a  sense  of  Goodness — could  you  but  behold 
with  what  religious  zeal  I  hye  me  to  Church  on  every  Lord's 
day,  it  would  do  your  heart  good,  and  fill  it,  I  hope,  with 
equal  fervency — but  hark'ee — I  am  told  you  have  lately 
introduced  into  your  Family,  a  certain  production  which 
you  are  lost  in  admiration  of,  and  spend  so  much  time  in 
contemplating  the  just  proportions  of  its  parts,  the  ease, 
and  conveniences  with  which  it  abounds,  that  it  is  thought 
you  will  have  little  time  to  animadvert  upon  the  prospect 
of-your  Crops,  &c.,  pray  how  will  this  be  reconciled  to  that 
anxious  care  and  vigilance,  which  is  so  escencially  necessary 
at  a  time  when  our  growing  Property — meaning  the  Tobacco 
— is  assailed  by  every  villainous  worm  that  has  had  an  exist- 
ence since  the  days  of  Noah  (how  unkind  it  was  of  that  Noah, 
now  I  have  mentioned  his  name,  to  suffer  such  a  brood  of 
Vermin  to  get  a  birth  in  the  Ark)  but  perhaps  you  may  be 
as  well  of  as  we  are — that  is,  have  no  Tobacco  for  them  to 
eat,  and  there  I  think  we  nicked  the  Dogs,  as  I  think  to 
do  you  if  you  expect  any  more — but  not  without  a  full 
assurance  of  being  with  a  very  sincere  regard, 
D  Sir,  Yr  Mo  Affect.  &  Obed., 

G°.  WASHINGTON. 
P.  S.  don't  forget  to  make  my  Compls.  to  Mrs.  Bassett, 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  183 

Miss  Dudy,  and  the  little  ones,  for  Miss  Dudy  cannot  be 
classed  with  small  People  without  offering  her  great  injus- 
tice. I  shall  see  you,  I  expect,  about  the  first  of  November. 

To  Coin  Bassett,  at  Eltham. 

The  "new  production"  mentioned  in  the  letter  was  a 
son  and  heir  over  whose  birth  Colonel  Bassett  was  rejoicing. 
"  Miss  Dudy  "  was  Miss  Judy  Diggs,  the  daughter  of  a  neigh^ 
boring  farmer.  Miss  Judy's  physical  prowess  was  famous, 
and  on  one  occasion,  which  Washington  doubtless  remem- 
bered, she  had  beaten  a  valiant  youth  of  the  community 
in  a  wrestling  bout. 

Harper's  Weekly,  March  5,  1910,  p.  5. 

A  Manly,  Wholesome,  Many-sided  Life 

Take  it  for  all  in  all,  it  was  a  manly,  wholesome,  many- 
sided  life.  It  kept  Washington  young  and  strong,  both 
mentally  and  physically.  When  he  was  forty  he  flung 
the  iron  bar,  at  some  village  sports,  to  a  point  which  no 
competitor  could  approach.  There  was  no  man  in  all 
Virginia  who  could  ride  a  horse  with  such  a  powerful  and 
assured  seat.  There  was  no  man  who  could  journey  farther 
on  foot,  and  no  man  at  Williamsburg  who  showed  at  the 
governor's  receptions  such  a  commanding  presence,  or 
who  walked  with  such  a  strong  and  elastic  step.  As  with 
the  body,  so  with  the  mind.  He  never  rusted.  A  prac- 
tical carpenter  and  smith,  he  brought  the  same  quiet 
intelligence  and  firm  will  to  the  forging  of  iron  or  the  felling 
and  sawing  of  trees  that  he  had  displayed  in  fighting  France. 
The  life  of  a  country  gentleman  did  not  dull  or  stupefy  him, 
or  lead  him  to  gross  indulgences.  He  remained  well-made 
and  athletic,  strong  and  enduring,  keen  in  perception  and 
in  sense,  and  warm  'in  his  feelings  and  affections.  Many 
men  would  have  become  heavy  and  useless  in  these  years  of 
quiet  country  life,  but  Washington  simply  ripened  and, 
like  all  slowly  maturing  men,  grew  stronger,  abler,  and 


184  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


wiser  in  the  happy  years  of  rest  and  waiting  which  inter- 
vened between  youth  and  middle  age. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  114. 

The  Outer  Man 

Writing  to  his  London  tailor  for  clothes,  in  1763, 
Washington  directed  him  to  "take  measure  of  a  gentleman 
who  wares  well-made  cloaths  of  the  following  size:  to  wit, 
6  feet  high  and  proportionally  made — if  anything  rather 
slender  than  thick,  for  a  person  of  that  highth,  with  pretty 
long  arms  and  thighs.  You  will  take  care  to  make  the 
breeches  longer  than  those  you  sent  me  last,  and  I  would 
have  you  keep  the  measure  of  the  cloaths  you  now  make, 
and  if  any  alteration  is  required  in  my  next  it  shall  be 
pointed  out."  About  this  time  too,  he  ordered  "6  pr. 
Man's  riding  Gloves — rather  large  than  the  middle  size,  " 

and  several  dozen  pairs  of  stockings,  "to  be  long, 
and  tolerably  large. " 

The  earliest  known  description  of  Washington  was 
written  in  1760  by  his  companion-in-arms  and  friend 
George  Mercer,  who  attempted  a-  "portraiture"  in  the 
following  words:  "He  may  be  described  as  being  straight 
as  an  Indian  measuring  six  feet  two  inches  in  his  stockings, 
and  weighing  175  pounds  when  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Burgesses  in  1759.  His  frame  is  padded  with 
well-developed  muscles,  indicating  great  strength.  His 
bones  and  joints  are  large,  as  are  his  feet  and  hands.  He  is 
wide  shouldered,  but  has  not  a  deep  or  round  chest;  is 
neat  waisted,  but  is  broad  across  the  hips,  and  has  rather 
long  legs  and  arms.  His  head  is  well  shaped  though  not 
large,  but  is  gracefully  poised  on  a  superb  neck.  A  large 
and  straight  rather  than  a  prominent  nose;  blue-gray 
penetrating  eyes,  which  are  widely  separated  and  over- 
hung by  a  heavy  brow.  His  face  is  long  rather  than  broad, 
with  high  round  cheek  bones,  and  terminates  in  a  good 
firm  chin.  He  has  a.  clear  though  rather  a  colorless  pale 


THE  WEALTHY  PLANTER  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  185 

skin,  which  burns  with  the  sun.  A  pleasing,  benevolent, 
though  a  commanding  countenance,  dark  brown  hair,  which 
he  wears  in  a  cue.  His  mouth  is  large  and  generally  firmly 
closed,  but  which  from  time  to  time  discloses  some  defective 
teeth.  His  features  are  regular  and  placid,  though  flexible 
and  expressive  of  deep  feeling  when  moved  by  emotion. 
In  conversation  he  looks  you  full  in  the  face,  is  deliberate, 
deferential  and  engaging.  His  demeanor  at  all  times 
composed  and  dignified.  His  movements  and  gestures  are 
graceful,  his  walk  majestic,  and  he  is  a  splendid  horseman. " 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  38. 

Social  Diversions  and  the    -Dismal  Swamp  Company 

There  is  a  series  of  notes  in  one  of  the  diaries,  describing 
the  continued  festivities,  day  after  day,  when  the  British 
frigate  Boston  arrived  in  the  river  just  in  front  of  Belvoir. 
Sir  Thomas  Adams  was  the  commander.  The  officers  were 
made  at  home  in  Mount  Vernon  and  at  Belvoir.  Breakfast 
parties  and  dinner  parties  varied  the  ordinary  life,  and  en 
board  the  frigate  there  were  occasional  tea  parties.  Wash- 
ington, the  Fairfaxes,  and  the  other  rich  planters  on  the 
Potomac  had  beautiful  barges,  which  had  been  built  for 
them  in  England,  and  these  barges  were  manned  by  negroes 
in  uniform,  with  the  neatness  and  precision  of  the  navy  or 
of  our  best  modern  boatmen.  .  .  .  -." 

They  were  not  far  from  Annapolis,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Washington  would  visit  that  capital  when  the  Legislature 
was  in  session,  meeting  an  elegant,  though  not  very  large 
society.  There  were  dinners  and  balls  during  the  session, 
and  occasional  efforts  at  theatricals.  Washington  was 
always  fond  of  the  theatre;  but  in  his  day  he  had  few 
opportunities  for  gratifying  this  taste.  He  danced  at 
balls,  and  though  the  tradition  is  that  he  was  a  ceremonious 
and  grave  partner,  that  tradition  probably  belongs  rather 
to  a  later  period  than  to  these  days  of  his  early  marriage. 
Among  the  articles  imported  for  his  wife  and  her  daughter, 
masks  are  mentioned. 


1 86  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

He  engaged  himself,  with  other  men  of  enterprise  in  his 
neighborhood,  in  a  plan  to  drain  the  great  Dismal  Swamp  in 
Southern  Virginia.  He  explored  it  personally,  both  on 
horseback,  as  far  as  that  was  possible,  and  on  foot  where  he 
could  not  press  his  horse.  At  the  next  session  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Legislature,  the  company,  in  behalf  of  which  he  had 
visited  it,  was  chartered  under  the  name  of  the  "  Dismal 
Swamp  Company.."  With  the  work  of  that  company  the 
operations  which  have  gone  forward  from  time  to  time  to 
improve  that  region  practically  began. 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  Studied  Anew,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  p.  128. 


Treaty  of  peace  between  English  and  French. ...  1763 

Pontiac  War x?63 

Stamp  Act  passed  by  Parliament 1765 

Stamp  Act  repealed 1766 

Declaratory  Act  passed 1766 

Duty  on  tea,  glass,  paints  and  paper 1767 

English  troops  sent  to  Boston , 1 768 

So-called  "  Boston  Massacre" March  3,  1770 


From  a  Miniature  by  J.  De  Mare. 

COLONEL    WASHINGTON 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  VIRGINIA  COLONEL  AND  THE  COMING  CONFLICT 
The  Stamp  Act  and  Patrick  Henry 

From  1763,  when  the  torment  began,  to  1774,  only  one 
year  before  Washington  took  command  of  the  Continental 
army,  he  was  as  staunch  a  loyalist  as  could  be  found  in 
England.  Not  once  in  all  this  time,  however,  did  he  under- 
rate the  mischievous  influence  of  any  of  England's  inju- 
dicious efforts.  As  early  as  1763,  when  the  English  Board 
of  Trade  ordered  that  colonial  paper  money,  a  small  quantity 
of  which  had  been  issued  during  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
should  be  no  longer  a  legal  tender,  he  expressed  the  fear 
that  the  order  "would  set  the  whole  country  in  flames," 
and  when  the  Stamp  Act  was  passed  he  wrote  that  there 
were  many  cogent  reasons  why  it  would  prove  ineffectual. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  first  to  predict  that  import  duties, 
for  revenue,  would  induce  frugality  in  America  and  injure 
British  manufactures. 

Irving  aptly  says  it  was  ominous  that  the  first  burst 
of  opposition  (by  a  representative  body)  to  the  Stamp  Act 
should  take  place  in  Virginia,  for  this  colony  had  been 
marked  above  all  others  for  its  sympathy  for  the  mother 
country.  The  act  was  passed  by  Parliament  in  March, 
1765  ;  two  months  later,  in  the  House  of  Burgesses,  of  which 
Washington  was  a  member,  Patrick  Henry  presented  the 
famous  resolutions  declaring  that  Virginia's  General  Assem- 
bly had  the  exclusive  right  and  power  to  tax  the  inhabitants 
of  the  colony,  and  that  whoever  maintained  the  contrary 
was  Virginia's  enemy;  it  was  at  the  close  of  his  speech 
supporting  these  resolutions  that  Henry  drew  the  startling 
parallels  which  have  been  repeated  countless  millions  of 

1-14  (187) 


i88  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

times  on  school-room  platforms.  The  resolutions,  slightly 
changed  in  form  but  with  all  of  their  original  spirit,  were 
passed,  the  frightened  Lieutenant-Governor  dissolved  the 
Assembly  and  ordered  a  new  election,  and  Virginia  jumped 
ahead  a  century  within  twenty-four  hours. 

The  stamped  paper,  when  it  arrived,  was  treated  with 
that  peculiar  quality  of  deference  that  is  usually  accorded 
to  smallpox.  Nobody  wanted  it.  and  those  who  had  it 
kept  it  out  of  sight.  As  no  legal  papers  were  valid  unless 
written  upon  it,  the  courts  closed  their  doors,  to  the  delight 
of  all  sinners  except  lawyers.  The  day  on  which  the  act 
went  into  operation  was  observed  throughout  the  country 
as  a  day  of  mourning,  the  only  festivities  being  the  hanging 
or  burning  in  effigy  of  the  promoters  of  the  act.  Three 
months  of  this  sort  of  thing  convinced  Parliament  of  its 
mistake,  so  it  could  not  have  been  so  remarkably  stupid 
a  body  after  all.  .  .  .  The  act  was  repealed  in  the 
fourth  month  of  its  operation,  to  the  great  delight  of  all 
America,  and  of  Washington,  who  had  feared  that  its  enforce- 
ment "would  have  been  more  direful  than  is  generally 
apprehended,  both  to  the  mother  country  and  her  colonies. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  66.  .  . 

The  Grand  Sachem's  Prophecy 

In  the  year  1772,  Col.  Washington,  accompanied  by 
Dr.  Craik  and  a  considerable  party  of  hunters,  woodsmen 
and  others,  proceeded  to  Kanawha,  with  a  view  to  explore 
the  country,  and  make  surveys  of  extensive  and  valuable 
tracts  of  land.  At  that  time  the  Kanawha  was  several 
hundred  miles  remote  from  the  frontier  settlements,  and 
only  accessible  by  Indian  paths,  which  wound  through  the 
passes  of  the  mountains. 

One  day,  when  resting  in  the  camp  from  the  fatigues 
attendant/  on  so  arduous  an  enterprise,  a  party  of  Indians 
were  discovered  approaching,  led  by  a  trader.  They 
halted  at  a  short  distance,  and  the  interpreter  advancing, 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  189 

declared  that  he  was  conducting  a  party,  which  consisted 
of  a  grand  sachem  and  some  attendant  warriors;  that  the 
chief  was  a  very  great  man  among  the  northwestern  tribes, 
and  the  same  who  commanded  the  Indians  on  the  fall  of 
Braddock,  sixteen  years  before;  that  hearing  of  the  visit 
of  Col.  Washington  to  the  western  country,  this  chief  set 
out  on  a  mission,  the  object  of  which  himself  would  make 
known. 

The  colonel  received  the  ambassador  with  courtesy, 
and  having  put  matters  in  the  camp  in  the  best  possible 
order  for  the  reception  of  such  distinguished  visitors,  which 
so  short  a  notice  would  allow,  the  strangers  were  introduced. 
Among  the  colonists  were  some  fine,  tall,  and  manly  figures, 
but  as  soon  as  the  sachem  approached,  he  in  a  moment 
pointed  out  the  hero  of  the  Monongahela  amid  the  group, 
although  sixteen  years  had  elapsed  since  he  had  seen  him, 
and  then  only  in  the  tumult  of  the  battle.  The  Indian  was 
of  lofty  stature,  and  of  a  dignified  and  imposing  appearance. 

The  council  fire  was  kindled,  when  the  grand  sachem 
addressed  our  Washington  to  the  following  effect : — 

"  I  am  a  chief,  and  the  ruler  over  many  tribes.  My 
influence  extends  to  the  waters  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  to 
the  far  Blue  Mountains.  I  have  travelled  a  long  and  a 
weary  path,  that  I  might  see  the  young  warrior  of  the  great 
battle.  It  was  on  the  day  that  the  white  man's  blood 
mixed  with  the  streams  of  our  forest,  that  I  first  beheld  this 
chief.  I  called  to  my  young  men  and  said,  'Mark  yon  tall 
and  daring  warrior;  he  is  not  of  the  red-coat  tribe;  he 
hath  an  Indian's  wisdom,  and  his  warriors  fight  as  well; 
himself  alone  is  exposed.  Quick,  let  your  aim  be  certain, 
and  he  dies.'  Our  rifles  were  levelled — rifles  which  but  for 
him  knew  not  how  to  miss.  'Twas  all  in  vain;  a  power 
mightier  far  than  we  shielded  him  from  harm.  He  cannot 
die  in  battle.  I  am  old,  and  soon  shall  be  gathered  to  the 
great  council  fire  of  my  fathers  in  the  land  of  the  shades; 


1 9o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

but  ere  I  go,  there  is  a  something  bids  me  speak  in  the  voice 
of  prophecy.  Listen!  The  Great  Spirit  protects  that  man 
and  guides  his  destinies.  He  will  become  the  chief  of 
nations,  and  a  people  yet  unborn  hail  him  as  the  founder 
of  a  mighty  empire. " 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  49. 

"Our  Lordly  Masters  in  Great  Britain" 

Washington  .  .•'•'.  was  growing  exceedingly  im- 
patient of  English  misrule,  and  saw  clearly  to  what  it  was 
leading.  "At  a  time,"  he  says,  "when  our  lordly  masters 
in  Great  Britain  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  the 
deprivation  of  American  freedom,  it  seems  highly  necessary 
that  something  .should  be  done  to  avert  the  stroke,  and 
maintain  the  liberty  which  we  have  derived  from  our 
ancestors.  But  the  manner  of  doing  it  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose -effectually  is  the  point  in  question.  That  no  man 
should  scruple,  or  hesitate  a  moment,  to  use  arms  in  defense 
of  so  valuable  a  blessing,  is  clearly  my  opinion.  Yet  arms, 
I  would  beg  leave  to  add,  should  be  the  last  resort.  We 
have  already,  it  is  said,  proved  the  inefncacy  of  addresses 
to  the  throne,  and  remonstrances  to  Parliament.  How  far, 
then,  their  attention  to  our  rights  and  privileges  is  to  be 
awakened  or  alarmed  by  starving  their  trade  and  manu- 
factures remains  to  be  tried. " 

He  took  the  lead  in  forming  an  association  in  Virginia, 
and  he  kept  scrupulously  to  his  agreement;  for  when  he 
sent  his  orders  to  London,  he  was  very  careful  to  instruct 
his  correspondents  to  send  him  none  of  the  goods  unless 
the  Act  of  Parliament  had  meantime  been  repealed.  As 
the  times  grew  more  exciting,  Washington  watched  events 
steadily.  He  took  no  step  backward,  but  he  moved  forward 
deliberately  and  with  firmness.  He  did  not  allow  himself 
to  be  carried  away  by  the  passions  of  the  time.  It  was  all 
very  well,  some  said,  to  stop  buying  from  England,  but  let 
us  stop  selling  also.  They  need  our  tobacco.  Suppose 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  19  r 

we  refuse  to  send  it  unless  Parliament  repeals  the  act. 
Washington  stood  out  against  that  except  as  a  final  resource, 
and  for  the  reason  which  he  stated  in  a  letter : — 

"  I  am  convinced,  as  much  as  I  am  of  my  own  existence, 
that  there  is  no  relief  for  us  but  in  their  distress;  and  I 
think,  at  least  I  hope,  that  there  is  public  'virtue  enough 
left  among  us  to  deny  ourselves  everything  but  the  bare 
necessaries  of  life  to  accomplish  this  end.  This  we  have 
a  right  to  do,  and  no  power  on.  earth  can  compel  us  to  do 
otherwise,  till  it  has  first  reduced  us  to  the  most  abject 
state  of  slavery.  The  stopping  of  our  exports  would,  no 
doubt,  be  a  shorter  method  than  the  other  to  effect  this 
purpose;  but  if  we  owe  money  to  Great  Britain,  nothing 
but  the  last  necessity  can  justify  the  non-payment  of  it; 
and,  therefore,  I  have  great  doubts  upon  this  head,  and 
wish  to  see  the  other  method  first  tried,  which  is  legal  and 
will  facilitate  these  payments." 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  128. 

"Catch  a  Man  before  You  Hang  Him" 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  vigorous  responses  to  the 
oppressions  of  the  Stamp  Act  and  the  revenue  collectors 
came  from  Captain  Abraham  Whipple  of  Providence,  Rhode 
Island.  As  captain  of  a  small  ship  bearing  the  appropriate 
name  of  the  Gamecock  he  captured  twenty-three  French 
merchant  vessels,  during  the  French  and  Indian  war.  On 
one  of  Whipple 's  cruises  to  the  West  Indies  his  little  ship 
was  caught  in  a  gale,  and  it  became  necessary  to  throw 
overboard  the  guns  and  heaviest  cannon  balls.  Just  after 
this  a  huge  French  ship  hove  in  sight.  Too  much  disabled 
to  cope  with  such  an  enemy,  Whipple  resorted  to  stratagem. 
He  cut  up  a  spar  into  short  lengths,  painted  them  black 
like  cannon  and  stuck  them  out  at  the  porthole.  He 
ordered  the  crew  to  put  their  caps  on  the  ends  of  hand-spikes 
and  set  them  up  to  look  like  crew  all  ready  to  fire  the  guns. 
With  this  harmless  equipment,  Whipple  bore  boldly  down 


I92  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

upon  the  French  privateer,  which  put  about  and  soon 
sailed  out  of  sight. 

Captain  Whipple  was  soon  given  charge  of  a  company 
of  eighty  volunteers  who  went  out  in  rowboats  to  the 
Gaspee,  a  British  revenue  ship.  He  announced  that  he  had 
come  to  arrest  Lieutenant  Duddington,  boarded  the  Gaspee, 
took  Duddington  and  his  men  prisoners  and  burned  the  ob- 
noxious craft  at  the  water's  edge.  The  cool  daring  of  this  act 
enraged  the  British.  Captain  Wallace,  who  commanded 
another  British  ship,  wrote  to  Captain  Whipple  as  follows: 

"You,  Abraham  Whipple,  on  the  iyth  day  of  June,  1772, 
burned  his  Majesty's  vessel,  the  Gaspee,  and  I  will  hang  you 
at  yard's  arm." 

Whipple 's  reply  was  characteristic: 

To  Sir  James  Wallace,     Sir: 

"Always  catch  a  man  before  you  hang  him. 

"ABRAHAM  WHIPPLE." 

The  Story  of  the  Liberty  Bell,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  95. 

Feasting  and  Fasting 

When  the  Virginia  Assembly  met  again,  they  proceeded 
to  congratulate  the  governor  on  the  arrival  of  Lady  Dun- 
more,  and  then  suddenly,  as  all  was  flowing  smoothly  along, 
there  came  a  letter  through  the  corresponding  committee 
which  Washington  had  helped  to  establish,  telling  of  the 
measures  against  Boston.  Everything  else  was  thrown 
aside  at  once,  a  vigorous  protest  was  entered  on  the  journal 
of  the  House,  and  June  ist,  when  the  Port  Bill  was  to  go 
into  operation,  was  appointed  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation 
and  prayer.  The  first  result  was  prompt  dissolution  of  the 
assembly.  The  next  was  another  meeting  in  the  long  room 
of  the  Raleigh  tavern,  where  the  Boston  bill  was  denounced, 
non-importation  was  renewed,  and  the  committee  of  corre- 
spondence instructed  to  take  steps  for  calling  a  general 
congress.  Events  were  beginning  to  move  at  last  with' 


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THE  COMING  CONFLICT  193 

perilous  rapidity.  Washington  dined  with  Lord  Dunmore 
on  the  evening  of  that  day,  rode  with  him,  and  appeared  at 
her  ladyship's  ball  the  next  night.  It  was  not  his  way  to 
bite  his  thumb  at  men  with  whom  he  differed  politically, 
nor  to  call  the  motives  of  his  opponents  in  question.  But 
when  the  ist  of  June  arrived,  he  noted  in  his  diary  that  he 
fasted  all  day  and  attended  the  appointed  services.  He 
always  meant  what  he  said,  being  of  a  simple  nature,  and 
when  he  fasted  and  prayed  there  was  something  ominously 
earnest  about  it,  something  that  his  excellency  the  governor, 
who  liked  the  society  of  this  agreeable  man  and  wise  coun- 
sellor, would  have  done  well  to  consider  and  draw  con- 
clusions from,  and  which  he  probably  did  not  heed  at  all. 
He  might  well  have  reflected,  as  he  undoubtedly  failed  to  do, 
that  when  men  of  the  George  Washington  type  fast  and 
pray  on  account  of  political  misdoings,  it  is  well  for  their 
opponents  to  look  to  it  carefully. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  119. 

Washington  Presents  Resolutions 

England  could  prevent  ships  entering  or  leaving  the 
port  of  Boston,  but  she  could  not  control  patriotic  sym- 
pathy, which  hurried  from  every  part  of  the  country  to 
the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  Yankees.  One  of  the  first 
results  was  the  first  Continental  Congress  in  which  all  the 
colonies  were  represented.  This  Congress,  which  convened 
in  the  autumn  of  1774,  was  composed  of  Englishmen  as 
loyal  as  those  who  wrung  Magna  Charta  from  King  John, 
but  it  asserted  the  right  of  the  colonists,  as  British  subjects, 
to  make  their  own  laws  and  impose  their  own  taxes;  it 
asserted  the  right  to  trial  by  jury,  the  right  of  petition,  and 
the  wrong  of  being  annoyed  by  royal  troops.  It  drafted 
a  petition  to  the  King,  and  addresses  to  the  people  of 
England,  Canada  and  America,  and  then  adjourned  to  meet 
again  in  the  spring  of  1775,  should  harmony  not  have  been 
restored  by  that  time. 


i94  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Washington  was  a  delegate  to  this  Congress,  and  an 
affectionate  subject  of  King  George,  but  he  was  not  a  fool. 
A  year  earlier,  in  reply  to  a  suggestion  of  his  friend  Bryan 
Fairfax,  brother  of  his  older  friend  the  old  Earl  that  the 
colonies  should  petition  the  throne,  he  distinctly  declared 
that  there  had  already  been  petitions  as  good  as  any  new 
ones  that  could  be  manufactured,  .  .  and  . 
implied  that  if  the  petitions  already  sent  were  unproductive, 
there  was  no  sense  in  wasting  any  more  paper  and  ink. 
Still,  he  voted  with  his  friends,  did  all  he  could  to  avert 
harm,  and  then  and  afterward  .  .  .  did  all  that 
could  be  done  by  a  loyal  Englishman  who  did  not  forget 
that  he  was  an  honest  man.  Before  the  Congress  met  he 
presided  at  a  county  political  meeting  that  prepared  a  set 
of  resolutions  which  were  extremely  loyal,  but  which, 
nevertheless,  reminded  the  English  Government  that  from 
the  sovereign  there  was  but  one  appeal. 

These  resolutions  were  presented  by  Washington  in 
person  at  a  general  convention  of  Virginians,  and  in  sup- 
porting them  the  quiet,  self-contained  young  delegate 
astonished  all  of  his  associates  by  an  outburst  of  eloquence 
that  must  have  come  from  the  heart,  for  he  concluded  by 
expressing  his  readiness  to  raise  and  equip  a  thousand  men, 
at  his  own  expense,  and  march  to  the  relief  of  Boston 
against  the  British  General  Gage,  who  was  infesting  and 
annoying  the  city  with  a  large  force  of  British  regulars. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  70. 

"More  Becoming  a  Turkish  Bashaw" 

The  meeting  of  Fairfax  County  was  held  in  due  course, 
and  Washington  presided.  The  usual  resolutions  for  self- 
government  and  against  the  vindictive  Massachusetts 
measures  were  adopted.  Union  and  non-importation  were 
urged;  and  then  the  congress,  which  they  advocated,  was 
recommended  to  address  a  petition  and  remonstrance  to 
the  king,  and  ask  him  to  reflect  that  "  from  our  sovereign 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  195 

there  can  be  but  one  appeal. "  Everything  was  to  be  tried, 
everything  was  to  be  done,  but  the  ultimate  appeal  was 
never  lost  sight  of  where  Washington  appeared,  and  the 
final  sentence  of  these  Fairfax  County  resolves  is  very 
characteristic  of  the  leader  in  the  meeting.  Two  days  later 
he  wrote  to  the  worthy  and  still  remonstrating  Bryan 
Fairfax,  repeating  and  enlarging  his  former  questions,  and 
adding:  "Has  not  General  Gage's  conduct  since  his  arrival, 
in  stopping  the  address  of  his  council,  and  publishing  a 
proclamation  more  becoming  to  a  Turkish  bashaw  than  an 
English  governor,  declaring  it  treason  to  associate  in  any 
manner  by  which  the  commerce  of  Great  Britain  is  to  be 
affected, — has  not  this  exhibited  an  unexampled  testimony 
of  the  most  despotic  system  of  tyranny  that  ever  was 
practised  in  a  free  government?  .  .  .  Shall  we  after 
this  whine  and  cry  for  relief,  when  we  have  already  tried 
it  in  vain?  Or  shall  we  supinely  sit  and  see  one  province 
after  another  fall  a  sacrifice  to  despotism?"  The  fighting 
spirit  of  the  man  was  rising.  There  was  no  rash  rushing 
forward,  no  ignorant  shouting  for  war,  no  blinking  of  the 
real  issue,  but  a  foresight  that  nothing  could  dim,  and  a 
perception  of  facts  which  nothing  could  confuse. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  122. 

The  Silent  Man  Becomes  Eloquent 

On  August  ist  Washington  was  at  Williamsburg,  to 
represent  his  country  in  the  meeting  of  representatives  from 
all  Virginia.  The  convention  passed  resolutions  like  the 
Fairfax  resolves,  and  chose  delegates  to  a  general  congress. 
The  silent  man  was  now  warming  into  action.  He  "made 
the  most  eloquent  speech  that  ever  was  made,"  and  said, 
"  I  will  raise  a  thousand  men,  subsist  them  at  my  own 
expense,  and  march  them  to  the  relief  of  Boston.  "  He  was 
capable,  it  would  seem,  of  talking  to  the  purpose  with 
some  fire  and  force,  for  all  he  was  so  quiet  and  so  retiring. 
When  there  was  anything  to  say,  he  could  say  it  so  that  it 


i96  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

stirred  all  who  listened,  because  they  felt  that  there  was 
a  mastering  strength  behind  the  words.  He  faced  the 
terrible  issue  solemnly  and  firmly,  but  his  blood  was  up, 
the  fighting  spirit  in  him  was  aroused,  and  the  convention 
chose  him  as  one  of  Virginia's  six  delegates  to  the  Continental 
Congress.  He  lingered  long  enough  to  make  a  few  prepara- 
tions at  Mount  Vernon.  He  wrote  another  letter  to  Fairfax, 
interesting  to  us  as  showing  the  keenness  with  which  he 
read  in  the  meagre  news-reports  the  character  of  Gage  and 
of  the  opposing  people  of  Massachusetts.  Then  he  started 
for  the  North  to  take  the  first  step  in  the  long  and  difficult 
path  that  lay  before  him. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  123. 

"An  Innate  Spirit  of  Freedom" 

To  his  friend  Bryan  Fairfax,  who,  although  a  fine 
fellow  and  a  Liberal  in  politics,  was  first  of  all  an  Englishman 
instead  of  an  American,  Washington  wrote  "an  innate 
spirit  of  freedom  first  told  me  that  the  measures  which  the 
administration  have  for  some  time  been  and  now  are 
violently  pursuing,  are  opposed  to  every  principle  of  natural 
justice. "  To  an  old  friend  and  comrade,  Captain  Mackenzie, 
now  with  Gage  in  Boston,  he  wrote  in  1774  that,  while  none 
of  the  colonies  desired  independence,  "  this  you  may  at  the 
same  time  rely  on,  that  none  of  them  will  ever  submit  to  the 
loss  of  their  valuable  rights  and  privileges. " 

In  the  same  year  he  offered  to  accept  the  command  of 
a  single  Virginia  company,  should  occasion  require  it  to  be 
called  out,  and  he  wrote  his  brother  that  "it  is  my  full 
intention  if  needful,  to  devote  my  life  and  fortune  to  the 
cause."  To  George  William  Fairfax  in  England,  he  wrote 
early  in  1775  that  war  was  a  sad  alternative,  "but  can  a 
virtuous  man  hesitate  in  his  choice?"  His  eloquence  in 
supporting  the  Fairfax  county  resolutions,  and  his  announce- 
ment that  he  was  willing  to  raise  and  equip  at  his  own 
expense  a  thousand  men  and  lead  them  to  Boston,  have 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  197 

already  been  alluded  to,  and  yet  during  all  this  time  there 
did  not  exist  a  more  loyal  subject  of  England.  Botecourt 
and  Dunmore,  who  were  the  royal  governors  in  Virginia 
during  the  troublous  time  that  gave  the  province  a  governor 
of  her  own,  found  in  Washington  hearty  personal  friendship 
and  invaluable  assistance  at  all  duties  that  did  not  conflict 
with  provincial  rights.  The  famous  Fairfax  county  resolu- 
tions with  which  his  name  is  identified,  claimed  that  those 
who  signed  them  were  Englishmen,  and  to  Mackenzie  he 
wrote,  concerning  independence.  "  I  am  satisfied  that  no 
such  thing  is  desired  by  any  thinking  man  in  North 
America. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  76 

.  "An  Appeal  to  Arms  and  the  God  of  Hosts" 

I  think  that  winter  and  spring  of  1775  must  have 
been  a  somewhat  sorrowful  one  to  George  Washington, 
and  that  he  must  have  felt  as  if  a  great  change  were  coming 
into  his  life.  His  wife's  daughter  had  died,  and  he  missed 
her  sadly.  Young  John  Custis  had  married  and  gone 
away  to  live.  The  sound  of  war  was  heard  on  all  sides,  and 
among  the  visitors  to  Mount  Vernon  were  some  who  after- 
ward were  to  be  generals  in  the  American  army.  .He  still 
rode  occasionally  after  the  hounds,  but  the  old  days  of  fun 
were  gone.  George  Fairfax,  had  gone  back  to  England, 
and  trie  jolly  company  at  Belvoir  was  scattered.  The 
house  itself  there  had  caught  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground. 

But  the  time  for  action  was  at  hand.  Washington 
turned  from  his  home  and  his  fox-hunting  to  go  to  Richmond 
as  a  delegate  to  a  second  Virginia  convention.  It  was 
called  to  hear  the  reports  of  the  delegates  to  Philadelphia 
and  to  see  what  further  was  to  be  done.  It  was  clear  to 
some,  and  to  Washington  among  them,  that  the  people 
must  be  ready  for  the  worst.  They  had  shown  themselves 
in  earnest  by  all  the  training  they  had  been  going  through 
as  independent  companies.  Now  let  those  companies  be 


i98  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

formed  into  a  real  army.  It  was  idle  to  send  any  more 
petitions  to  the  king. 

"We  must  fight!"  exclaimed  Patrick  Henry;  "I 
repeat  it,  sir;  we  must  fight!  An  appeal  to  arms  and  the 
God  of  Hosts  is  all  that  is  left  us!" 

A  committee,  of  which  Washington  was  one,  was 
appointed  to  report  a  plan  for  an  army  of  Virginia. 

But  when  people  make  up  their  minds  to  fight,  they 
know  very  well,  if  they  are  sensible,  that  more  than  half 
the  task  before  them  is  to  find  means  for  feeding  and  clothing 
not  only  the  troops  but  the  people  who  are  dependent  on 
the  troops.  Therefore  the  convention  appointed  another 
committee,  of  which  Washington  was  also  a  member,  to 
devise  a  plan  for  encouraging  manufactures,  so  that  the 
people  could  do  without  England.  Heretofore,'  the  Vir- 
ginians had  done  scarcely  any  manufacturing;  nearly 
everything  they  needed  they  had  bought  from  England, 
with  tobacco.  But  if  they  were  to  be  at  war  with  England, 
they  must  be  making  ready  to  provide  for  themselves. 
It  was  late  in  the  day  to  do  anything ;  slavery,  though  they 
did  not  then  see  it  clearly,  had  made  a  variety  of  industries 
impossible.  However,  the  people  Were  advised  to  form 
associations  to  promote  the  raising  of  wool,  cotton,  flax, 
and  hemp,  and  to  encourage  the  use  of  home  manufactures. 

Washington  was  again  chosen  one  of  the  delegates  to 
the  Continental  Congress,  for  the  second  Congress  had  been 
called  to  meet  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  even  readier  to  go 
than  before.  On  the  day  when  he  was  chosen,  he  wrote  to 
his  brother,  John  Augustine  Washington: 

"It  is  my  full  intention  to  devote  my  life  and  fortune 
to  the  cause  we  are  engaged  in,  if  needful.  " 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder.  p.  138. 

"A  Mere  Potomac  Planter" 

"How  are  you,  Hugh?"  This  was  the  Master  of  the 
Rolls,  Mr.  John  Morris.  Then  my  aunt  said,  "Go  and 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  199 

speak  to  the  ladies — you  know  them";  and  as  I  turned 
aside,  "  I  beg  pardon,  Sir  William;  this  is  my  nephew,  Hugh 
Wynne. "  This  was  addressed  to  a  high-coloured  personage 
in  yellow  velvet  with  gold  buttons,  and  a  white  flowered 
waistcoat,  and  with  his  queue  in  a  fine  hair  net. 

"This  is  Sir  William  Draper,  Hugh;  he  who  took 
Manila,  as  you  must  know."  ,  .  .  The  famous  soldier 
smiled  as  I  saluted  him  with  my  best  bow. 

"Fine  food  for  powder,  Mistress  Wynne,  and  already 
sixteen!  I  was  in  service  three  years  earlier.  Should  he 
wish  for  an  ensign's  commission,  I  am  at  your'service. " 

"Ah,  Sir  William,  that  might  have  been,  a  year  or  so 
ago,  but  now  he  may  have  to  fight  General  Gage. " 

"  The  gods  forbid !     Our  poor  general ! " 

"  Mistress  Wynne  is  a  rank  Whig,  "  put  in  Mrs.  Ferguson. 
"She  reads  Dickinson's  'Farmer's  Letters,'  and  all  the 
wicked  treason  of  that  man  Adams." 

"A  low  demagogue!"  cried  Mrs.  Galloway.  "I  hear 
there  have  been  disturbances  in  Boston,  and  that  because 
one  James  Otis  has  been  beaten  by  our  officers,  and  because 
our  bands  play  'Yankee  Doodle'  on  Sundays  in  front  of 
the  churches— I  beg  pardon,  the  meetings — Mr.  Robinson, 
the  king's  collector,  has  had  to  pay  and  apologize.  Most 
shameful  it  is!" 

"  I  should  take  short  measures, "  said  the  sailor. 

"And  I,"  said  Etherington.  "I  have  just  come  from 
Virginia,  but  not  a  recruit  could  I  get.  It  is  like  a  nest  of 
ants  in  a  turmoil,  and  the  worst  of  all  are  the  officers  who 
served  in  the  French  war.  There  is,  too,  a  noisy  talker, 
Patrick  Henry,  and  a  Mr.  Washington." 

"  I  think  it  was  he  who  saved  the  wreck  of  the  king's 
army  under  Mr.  Braddock,  "  said  my  aunt.  "  I  can  remem- 
ber how  they  all  looked.  Not  a  wig  among  them.  The 
lodges  must  have  been  full  of  them,  but  their  legs  saved 
their  scalps. " 

"Is  it  for  this  that  they  call  them  wigwams?"  cries 
naughty  Miss  Chew 


200  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"A  mere  Potomac  planter,"  said  Etherington,  " 'pon 
my  soul — and  with  such  airs,  as  if  they  were  gentlemen  of 
the  line."  .  .  .  "I  have  served  the  king  as  well  as 
I  know  how,  and  I  trust,  madam,  I  shall  have  the  pleasure 
to  aid  in  the  punishment  of  some  of  these  insolent  rebels. " 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D..   p.  71. 

In  Front  of  Carpenters'  Hall 

At  half-past  ten  we  drove  down  Second  street  and  up 
Chestnut,  where  was  a  great  crowd  come  to  look  on.  Dr. 
Rush,  seeing  my  aunt's  chariot,  got  in  at  Second  street, 
and,  being  one  of  the  members,  enabled  us  to  get  near  to 
Carpenters'  Alley,  where,  at  the  far  end,  back  from  the 
street,  is  the  old  building  in  which  the  Congress  was  to  be 
held.  .  ..-'''.  I  think  none  had  a  better  view  than  we. 
Andrew  Allen  came  to  speak  to  us,  and  then  Mr.  Galloway, 
not  yet  scared  by  the  extreme  measures  of  which  few  as  yet 
dreamed,  and  which  by  and  by  drove  these  and  many 
other  gentlemen  into  open  declarations  for  the  crown. 
Here  and  there  militia  uniforms  were  seen  amid  the  dull 
grays,  the  smocks  of  farmers  and  mechanics,  and  the  sober 
suits  of  tradesmen,  all  come  to  see.  .  -:»  "  '.  - 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Duche  passed  us He  was  to 

make  this  day  the  famous  prayer  which  so  moved  Mr. 
Adams.  And  later,  I  may  add,  he  went  over  to  the  other 
side.  Soon  others  came.  Some  we  knew  not,  but  the 
great  Dr.  Rush  pointed  out  such  as  were  of  his  acquaintance. 

"There,"  he  said,  "is  Carter  Braxton.  He  tells  me 
he  does  not  like  the  New  England  men — either  their  religion 
or  their  manners;  and  I  like  them  both."  .  .  ."There 
is  the  great  Virginia  orator,  Mr.  Patrick  Henry,"  said  the 
doctor.  He  was  in  simple  dress,  and  looked  up  at  us 
curiously,  as  he  went  by  with  Pendleton  and  Mr.  Carroll. 
"He  has  a  great  estate — Mr.  Carroll,"  said  the  doctor.  "I 
wonder  he  will  risk  it."  He  was  dressed  in  brown  silk 
breeches,  with  a  yellow  figured  waistcoat,  and,  like  many 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  201 


of  them,  wore  his  sword.  Mr.  Franklin  had  not  yet  come 
home,  and  some  were  late. 

Presently  the  doctor  called,  and  a  man  in  the  military 
dress  of  the  Virginia  militia  turned  toward  us.  "Colonel 
Washington,"  said  the  doctor,  "will  permit  me  to  present 
him  to  a  lady,  a  great  friend  of  liberty.  Mistress  Wynne, 
Colonel  Washington." 

"I  have  already  had  the  honor,"  he  said,  taking  off 
his  hat — a  scrolled  beaver. 

"  He  is  our  best  soldier,  and  we  are  fortunate  that  he 
is  with  us,  "  said  the  doctor,  as  the  colonel  moved  away.  , 

The  doctor  changed  his  mind  later,  and  helped,  I  fear, 
to  make  the  trouble  which  came  near  to  costing  Con  way 
his  life.  I  have  always  been  a  great  admirer  of  fine  men, 
and  as  the  Virginia  colonel  moved  like  Saul  above  the  crowd, 
an  erect,  well-proportioned  figure,  he  looked  taller  than  he 
really  was,  but,  as  my  aunt  had  said,  was  not  of  the  bigness 
of  my  father. 

"He  has  a  good  nose,"  said  my  Aunt  Gainor,  perhaps 
conscious  of  her  own  possession  in  the  way  of  a  nasal  organ, 
and  liking  to  see  it  as  notable  in  another;  "but  how  sedate 
he  is!  I  find  Mr.  Peyton  Randolph  more  agreeable,  and 
there  is  Mr.  Robert  Morris — and  John  Dickinson. " 

Then  John  Adams  went  by,  deep  in  talk  with  Roger 
Sherman,  whom  I  thought  shabbily  dressed;  and  behind 
them  Robert  Livingston,  whom  my  aunt  knew.  Thus  it 
was,  as  I  am  glad  to  remember,  that  I  beheld  these  men 
who  were  to  be  the  makers  of  an  empire.  Perhaps  no  wiser 
group  of  people  ever  met  for  a  greater  fate,  and  surely  the 
hand  of  God  was  seen  in  the  matter ;  for  what  other  colony — 
Canada,  for  example, — had  such  men  to  show?  There, 
meanwhile,  was  England,  with  its  great  nobles  and  free 
commons  and  a  splendid  story  of  hard- won  freedom,  driving 
madly  on  its  way  of  folly  and  defeat. 

Of  what  went  on  within  the  hall  we  heard  little.  A 
declaration  of  rights  was  set  forth,  committees  of  corre- 


202  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

spondence  appointed,  and  addresses  issued  to  the  king  and 
people  of  Great  Britain.  Congress  broke  up,  and  the  winter 
went  by;  Gage  was  superseded  by  Sir  William  Howe; 
Clinton  and  Burgoyne  were  sent  out,  and  ten  thousand  men 
were  ordered  to  America  to  aid  the  purposes  of  the  king. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  198. 

"A  Brother's  Sword  Sheathed  in  a  Brother's  Breast" 

Thus  the  winter  wore  away;  spring  opened,  and 
toward  the  end  of  April  Washington  started  again  for  the 
North,  much  occupied  with  certain  tidings  from  Lexington 
and  Concord  which  just  then  spread  over  the  land.  He 
saw  all  that  it  meant  plainly  enough,  and  after  noting  the 
fact  that  the  colonists  fought  and  fought  well,  he  wrote  to 
George  Fairfax  in  England :  "  Unhappy  it  is  to  reflect  that 
a  brother's  sword  has  been  sheathed  in  a  brother's  breast, 
and  that  the  once  happy  and  peaceful  plains  of  America  are 
either  to  be  drenched  in  blood  or  inhabited  by  slaves. 
Sad  alternative.  But  can  a  virtuous  man  hesitate  in  his 
choice?"  Congress,  it  would  seem,  thought  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  room  for  hesitation,  both  for  virtuous  men 
and  for  others,  and  after  the  fashion  of  their  race  deter- 
mined to  do  a  little  more  debating  and  arguing,  before 
taking  any  decisive  step.  After  much  resistance  and 
discussion,  a  second  "humble  and  dutiful  petition"  to  the 
king  was  adopted,  and  with  strange  contradiction  a  con- 
federation was  formed  at  the  same  time,  and  Congress 
proceeded  to  exercise  the  sovereign  powers  thus  vested  in 
them.  The  most  pressing  and  troublesome  question  before 
them  was  what  to  do  with  the  army  surrounding  Boston, 
and  with  the  actual  hostilities  there  existing. 

Washington,  for  his  part,  went  quietly  about  as  before, 
saying  nothing  and  observing  much,  working  hard  as 
chairman  of  the  military  committees,  planning  for  defense, 
and  arranging  for  raising  an  army.  One  act  of  his  alone 
stands  out  for  us  with  significance  at  this  critical  time.  In 
this  second  Congress  he  appeared  habitually  on  the  floor  in 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  203 

his  blue  and  buff  uniform  of  a  Virginia  colonel.  It  was  his 
way  of  saying  that  the  hour  for  action  had  come,  and  that 
he  at  least  was  ready  for  the  fight  whenever  called  upon. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  129. 

The  News  Received  in  Philadelphia 

The  cold  season  was  soon  upon  us,  and  the  eventful 
year  of  '75  came,  but  with  no  great  change  for  me  and  those 
I  loved.  A  sullen  rage  possessed  the  colonies,  and  espec- 
ially Massachusetts,  where  the  Regulation  Acts  were  quietly 
disregarded.  No  counsellors  or  jurymen  would  serve  under 
the  king's  commission.  The  old  muskets  of  the  French 
and  Indian  wars  were  taken  from  -the  corners  and  put  in 
order.  Men  drilled,  and  women  cast  bullets. 

Failing  to  corrupt  Samuel  Adams  and  Hancock,  Gage 
resolved  to  arrest  them  at  Concord  and  to  seize  on  the 
stores  of  powder  and  ball.  "The  heads  of  traitors  will 
soon  decorate  Temple  Bar,"  said  a  London  gazette;  and 
so  the  march  of  events  went  on.  In  the  early  spring  Dr. 
Franklin  came  home  in  despair  of  accommodation;  he  saw 
nothing  now  to  do  but  to  fight,  and  this  he  told  us  plainly. 
His  very  words  were  in  my  mind  on  the  night  of  April  23d 
of  this  year  of  '75,  as  I  was  slowly  and  thoughtfully  walking 
over  the  bridge  where  Walnut  crossed  the  Dock  Creek, 
and  where  I  stayed  for  a  moment  to  strike  flint  and  steel  in 
order  to  light  my  pipe.  Of  a  sudden  I  heard  a  dii/1  but 
increasing  noise  to  north,  and  then  the  strong  voice  of  the 
bell  in  the  state-house.  It  was  not  ringing  for  fire.  Some- 
what puzzled  I  walked  swiftly  to  Second  street,  wher^  were 
men  and  women  in  groups.  I  stopped  a  man  and  asked 
what  had  chanced.  He  said,  "A  battle!  a  battle!  and 
General  Gage  killed."  Couriers  had  reached  the  coffee- 
houses, but  no  one  on  the  street  seemed  to  have  more  than 
this  vagtie  information;  all  were  going  toward  Chestnut 
street,  where  a  meeting  was  to  be  held,  as  I  learned  and 
perhaps  fuller  news  given  out. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  20. 
1-15 


204  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Lee  and  Gates  Visit  Mount  Vernon 

When  Congress  adjourned,  Washington  returned  to 
Mount  Vernon,  to  the  pursuits  and  pleasures  that  he  loved, 
to  his  family  and  farm,  and  to  his  horses  and  his  hounds, 
with  whom  he  had  many  a  good  run,  the  last  that  he  was 
to  enjoy  for  years  to  come.  He  returned  also  to  watch 
and  wait  as  before,  and  to  see  war  rapidly  gather  in  the  east. 
When  the  Virginia  Convention  again  assembled,  resolu- 
tions were  introduced  to  arm  and  discipline  men.  .  . 
Washington  said  nothing,  but  he  served  on  the  committee 
to  draft  a  plan  of  defense,  and  then  fell  to  reviewing  the 
independent  companies  which  were  springing  up  every- 
where. ...  At  Mount  Vernon  his  old  comrades  of 
the  French  war  began  to  appear,  in  search  of  courage  and 
sympathy.  Thither,  too,  came  Charles  Lee,  a  typical 
military  adventurer  of  that  period,  a  man  of  English 
birth  and  of  varied  service,  brilliant,  whimsical,  and  un- 
balanced. There  also  came  Horatio  Gates,  likewise  British, 
and  disappointed  with  his  prospects  at  home;  less  adven- 
turous than  Lee,  but  also  less  brilliant,  and  not  much 
more  valuable. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  129. 

"I  Now  Nominate  George  Washington,  of  Virginia" 

One  morning  in  June,  not  long  before  the  hour  when 
the  Congress  was  to  assemble,  John  Adams  was  walking 
up  and  down  the  street  in  front  of  the  building  in  which  the 
meeting  was  to  be  held.  His  hands  were  clasped  behind 
his  back,  and  his  head  was  bowed  so  that  it  was  evident  he 
was  seriously  troubled. 

His  meditations  were  interrupted  by  the  approach  of 
his  cousin  Samuel  Adams,  'who,  as  he  hailed  him,  said, 
"  What  is  the  topic  with  you  this  morning? " 

"Oh,  the  army,  the  army!"  replied  John  Adams. 
"I  am  determined  to  go  into  the  hall  this  morning,  and 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  205 

enter  upon  a  full  detail  of  the  state  of  the  colonies,  in  order 
to  show  an  absolute  need  of  taking  some  decided  steps. 
My  whole  aim  shall  be  to  induce  Congress  to  appoint  a  day 
for  adopting  the  army  as  the  legal  army  of  these  United 
Colonies  of  North  America,  and  then  to  hint  at  the  election 
of  a  commander-in-chief. " 

"Well,"  said  Samuel  Adams,  "I  like  that,  Cousin 
John,  but  on  whom  have  you  fixed  as  that  commander? " 

"  I  will  tell  you.  George  Washington  of  Virginia,  a 
member  of  this  house.  " 

"  Oh,  that  will  never  do,  never! "  replied  Samuel  Adams, 
in  surprise. 

"  It  must  do.     It  shall  do,  and  for  these  reasons. " 

Then  John  Adams  proceeded  to  call  his  cousin's  atten- 
tion to  the  exact  condition  of  the  country.  For  the  success 
of  the  cause  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  middle  and 
southern  colonies  should  be  heart  and  hand  with  the  eastern. 
The  American  army  wras  then  at  Cambridge,  made  up 
largely  of  New  England  men,  and  in  the  command  of 
General  Artemas  Ward,  himself  a  New  Englander.  Already 
some  of  the  men  from  other  sections  of  the  country  were 
holding  back  and  protesting  against  the  prominence  the 
New  England  men  were  taking,  and  apparently  were  dis- 
posed to  hold.  As  a  means  of  keeping  all  together,  the  only 
course  seemed  to  lie  in  the  selection  of  a  commander-in- 
chief  from  outside  the  eastern  colonies,  thereby  uniting  all 
sections  in  one  body,  a  body  that  John  Adams  declared 
would  then  be  irresistible. 

Samuel  Adams  listened  thoughtfully  to  his  cousin's 
words,  and  then  suggested  that  the  devotion  of  the  eastern 
men  to  General  Ward  would  be  a  serious  obstacle  to  such 
a  selection.  He  recounted  the  distinguished  services  of 
Artemas  Ward,  his  scholarship  (he  was  a  graduate  of  Har- 
vard), his  success  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  also 
referred  to  the  well-known  fact  that  John  Hancock  desired 
the  position  for  himself. 


206  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

John  Hancock's  claims  were  lightly  put  aside  by  John 
Adams,  who  had  slight  love  for  his  colleague,  as  is  well 
known.  Then  he  willingly  assented  to  all  that  his  cousin 
had  said  in  favor  of  Artemas  Ward,  but  still  clung  to  his 
purpose  to  have  the  Virginia  colonel  selected  for  the  posi- 
tion. He  referred  to  the  remarkable  services  Washington 
had  rendered  in  the  wars  of  the  colony,  his  well-balanced 
mind  and  large  experience  for  so  young  a  man,  which  more 
than  atoned  for  his  lack  of  training  in  the  schools,  and  to  the 
marked  confidence  which  the  people  of  all  parts  of  the 
country  had  in  his  integrity  and  manhood. 

After  a  further  conversation  Samuel  Adams  promised 
to  "second  the  motion,"  and  both  men  entered  the  hall 
where  the  assembly  had  now  convened.  John  Adams  soon 
took  the  floor  and,  in  one  of  his  most  impassioned  speeches, 
urged  the  adoption  of  the  army  by  the  Continental  Congress. 
He  himself  was  ready,  he  declared,  "to  arm  the  army, 
appoint  a  commander,  vote  supplies,  and  proceed  to  busi- 
ness. " 

Fears  and  objections  were  raised  by  some  of  his  more 
timid  hearers,  and  then,  with  a  warmth  he  could  not  conceal, 
John  Adams  again  rose  and  said:  "Gentlemen,  if  this 
Congress  will  not  adopt  this  army,  before  ten  moons  have 
set,  New  England  will  adopt  it,  and  she  will  undertake  the 
struggle  alone!  Yes,  with  a  strong  arm  and  a  clear  con- 
science she  will  front  the  foe  single-handed!" 

His  burning  words  swept  away  all  opposition,  the  time 
for  the  vote  was  fixed,  and  then  after  a  heated  debate  the 
army  was  adopted  by  Congress. 

The  next  problem  was  the  election  of  a  commander  for 
the  army,  which  now  was  no  longer  a  "  mob  of  rebels, "  but 
belonged  to  the  United  Colonies  of  North  America;  and 
naturally  all  looked  again  to  John  Adams  to  lead.  And 
he  was  ready  to  lead,  too. 

On  the  appointed  day  he  was  in  the  assembly,  and 
began  his  speech.  First  he  entered  into  a  description  of 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  207 

General  Ward,  and  bestowed  upon  him  such  praise  as  must 
have  satisfied  even  the  warmest  friends  of  the  sturdy  New 
England  soldier.  Then,  drawing  himself  up  to  his  full 
height,  he  paused  for  a  moment  before  he  added:  "But 
this  is  not  the  man  I  have  chosen ! ' ' 

The  scene  was  intensely  dramatic,  and  the  eyes  of  all 
the  assembly  were  fixed  upon  the  speaker.  At  his  right 
was  seated  George  Washington,  clad  in  his  uniform  of  a 
Virginia  colonel,  and  he,  too,  was  leaning  forward  with 
breathless  interest,  eager  to  hear  the  name  of  the  man 
whom  John  Adams  would  propose. 

More  quietly,  then,  John  Adams  went  on  to  portray 
the  qualifications  the  new  commander  must  have.  Becom- 
ing more  eloquent  as  his  speech  drew  to  an  end,  he  closed 
with  these  words:  "Gentlemen,  I  know  these  qualifications 
are  high,  but  we  all  know  they  are  needful  in  this  crisis  in 
this  chief.  Does  any  one  say  they  are  not  to  be  obtained 
in  this  country?  In  reply,  I  have  to  say  they  are;  they 
reside  in  one  of  our  own  body,  and  he  is  the  man  whom  I 
now  nominate, — GEORGE  WASHINGTON  OF  VIRGINIA." 

The  startled  Washington  as  he  heard  the  words  leaped 
to  his  feet  and  rushed  into  an  adjoining  room.  The  entire 
body  sat  silent  and  astonished.  In  the  midst  of  the  silence, 
Samuel  Adams,  acting  on  a  promise  he  had  previously  given 
his  cousin,  rose,  and  moved  for  an  adjournment,  that  time 
for  consultatian  and  deliberation  might  be  had.  The 
motion  prevailed,  and  the  assembly  was  dismissed. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  44. 

Colonel  Washington  Elected  Commander-in-chief 

Two  days  before  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  Congress 
formally  adopted  all  the  colonial  troops  that  had  been 
raised;  and  on  the  very  day  on  which  the  Yankees  started 
for  Bunker  Hill  and  a  glorious  history,  Delegate  Wash- 
ington of  the  Continental  Congress  was  informed  of  his 
unanimous  election  as  commander-in-chief.  Material  from 


2o8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

which  to  make  commanders  was  not  at  all  scarce  in  the 
country  at  that  time,  for  every  man  with  a  taste  for  war 
had  enjoyed  numerous  chances  for  gratifying  it  during  the 
many  difficulties  with  French  and  Indians  in  the  preceding 
twenty  years.  Ward,  already  in  command  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts troops,  had  seen  hard  service,  and  so  had  Israel 
Putnam.  Schuyler,  who  needed  only  Washington's  pa- 
tience to  be  Washington's  double,  had  fought  the  French 
and  been  carefully  educated  in  military  science.  Greene, 
Pomeroy,  Montgomery,  Stark,  and  Prescott  were  not  so 
prominent,  but  were  all  trusty  fighters,  while  Charles  Lee 
and  Horatio  Gates,  both  English  soldiers,  who  had  left  their 
country  for  their  country's  good,  were  regarded  with  that 
adoring  awe  which  twenty  years  ago  characterized  every 
American  who  gazed  upon  any  foreigner  who  had  ever 
worn  a  uniform.  But  Congress,  .though  far, — very  far,— 
from  right  in  its  impression  that  it  knew  everything,  under- 
stood that  ability  to  fight  was  not  everything  in  war,  and 
that  the  result  of  the  conflict  would  depend  largely  upon 
the  commander-in-chief 's  personal  character.  Washington's 
military  record  was  known  to  all  the  members,  and  as  for  the 
man  himself,  he  had  sat  among  them  in  both  sessions,  and 
his  intellectual  and  moral  greatness  had  impressed  them- 
selves even  upon  the  giants  of  whom  the  great  Chatham 
spoke  when  he  informed  the  House  of  Lords  that  "in  the 
master  States  of  the  world  I  know  not  the  people  or  senate 
who,  in  such  a  complication  of  difficult  circumstances,  can 
stand  in  preference  to  the  delegates  of  America,  assembled 
in  General  Congress  in  Philadelphia."  Questioned  about 
the  same  men  individually,  Patrick  Henry,  who  was  one  of 
the  delegates,  said,  "if  you  speak  of  solid  information  and 
sound  judgment.  Colonel  Washington  is  unquestionably 
the  greatest  man  on  that  floor. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  75. 


THE  COMING  CONFLICT  209 


Washington's  Commission  as  Commander-in-chief 


delegates  of  the  United  Colonies  of  New-Hampshire, 
Massachusetts  bay,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New-York, 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  New  Castle,,  Kent  &  Sussex  on 
Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina  and  South 
Carolina 

To  (Jkorij?  !Ua01}ttt0tOtt  Esquire 

•Hk  reposing  especial  trust  'and  confidence  in  your 
patriotism,  conduct  and  fidelity  Do  by  these  presents 
constitute  and  appoint  you  to  be  (intFral  atti  (Uflmmattfor 
itt  (Eljtff  of  the  Army  of  the  United  Colonies  and  of  all  the 
forces  raised  or  to  be  raised  by  them  and  of  all  others  who 
shall  voluntary  offer  their  sendee  and  join  the  said  army  for 
the  defense  of  American  Liberty  and  for  repelling  every 
hostile  invasion  thereof.  AND  you  are  hereby  vested  with 
full  power  and  authority  to  act  as  you  shall  think  for  the 
good  and  welfare  of  the  service. 

Atth  we  do  hereby  strictly  charge  and  require  all 
officers  and  soldiers  under  your  command  to  be  obedient 
to  your  orders  &  and  diligent  in  the  exercise  of  their  several 
duties. 

Attfr  we  do  also  enjoin  and  require  you  to  be  careful  in 
executing  the  great  trust  reposed  in  you,  by  causing  strict 
discipline  and  order  to  be  observed  in  the  army  and  that 
the  soldiers  are  duly  exercised  and  provided  with  all  con- 
venient necessaries  . 

Attfc  you  are  to  regulate  your  conduct  in  every  respect 
by  the  rules  and  discipline  of  war  (as  herewith  giveri  you) 
and  punctually  to  observe  and  follow  such  orders  and 
directions  from  time  to  time  as  you  shall  receive  from  this 
or  a  future  Congress  of  the  said  United  Colonies  or  a  com- 
mittee of  Congress  for  that  purpose  appointed. 


2io  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

THIS  COMMISSION  to  continue  in  force  until  revoked 
by  this  or  a  future  Congress. 

By  order  of  the  Congress 
JOHN  HANCOCK 

President. 

Dated,  Philadelphia  June  ipth,  1775. 
Attest  CHAS.  THOMSON,  Seer. 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  34. 


Abraham  Whipple  destroys  the  Gaspee,  June  io,  1772 

All  duties  repealed  except  tax  on  tea *773 

"Boston  Tea  Party" J773 

General  Gage  made  military  governor  of  Boston,  1774 

Boston  Port  Bill June   i-,  1774 

First  Contine  ital  Congress  meets,  Philadelphia, 

September  5,  1774 

Battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord April   19,  1775 

Second  Continental  Congress  meets May  io,  1775 

Ticonderoga  taken  by  Ethan  Allen May    io,  1775 

Crown  Point  taken May   1 1,  1775 


CHAPTER  XII 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RAW  RECRUITS 
"A  Subject  Which  Fills  Me  with  Inexpressible  Concern" 

When  Washington  left  Mount  Vernon,  in  May,  1775, 
to  attend  the  Continental  Congress,  he  did  not  foresee  his 
appointment  as  commander-in-chief,  and  as  soon  as  it 
occurred  he  wrote  his  wife,— 

"  I  am  now  set  down  to  write  to  you  on  a  subject 
which  fills  me  with  inexpressible  concern,  and  this  concern 
is  greatly  aggravated  and  increased,  when  I  reflect  upon  the 
uneasiness  I  know  it  will  give  you.  It  has  been  determined 
in  Congress,  that  the  whole  army  raised  for  the  defense  of 
the  American  cause  shall  be  put  under  my  care,  and  that  it 
is  necessary  for  me  to  proceed  immediately  to  Boston  to 
take  upon  me  the  command  of  it. 

"You  may  believe  me  my  dear  Patsy,  when  I  assure 
you,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that,  so  far  from  seeking 
this  appointment,  I  have  used  every  endeavor  in  my  power 
to  avoid  it,  not  only  from  my  unwillingness  to  part  with 
you  and  the  family,  but  from  a  consciousness  of  its  being 
a  trust  too  great  for  my  capacity,  and  that  I  should  enjoy 
more  real  happiness  in  one  month  with  you  at  home,  than 
I  have  the  most  distant  prospect  of  finding  abroad,  if  my 
stay  were  to  be  seven  times  seven  years.  ...  I  shall 
feel  no  pain  from  the  toil  and  dangers  of  the  campaign; 
my  unhappiness  will  flow  from  the  uneasiness  I  know  you 
will  feel  from  being  left  alone." 

To  prevent  this  loneliness  as  far  as  possible,  he  wrote 
at  the  same  time  to  different  members  of  the  two  families 
as  follows: 

(211) 


2i2  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  My  great  concern  upon  this  occasion  is,  the  thought 
of  leaving  your  mother  under  the  uneasiness  which  I  fear 
this  affair  will  throw  her  into;  I  therefore  hope,  expect, 
and  indeed  have  no  doubt,  of  your  using  every  means  in 
your  power  to  keep  up  her  spirits,  by  doing  everything  in 
your  power  to  promote  her  quiet.  I  have,  I  must  confess, 
very  uneasy  feelings  on  her  account,  but  as  it  has  been  a 
kind  of  unavoidable  necessity  which  has  led  me  into  this 
appointment,  I  shall  more  readily  hope  that  success  will 
attend  it  and  crown  our  meetings  with  happiness. " 

"  I  entreat  you  and  Mrs.  Bassett  if  possible  to  visit  at 
Mount  Vernon,  as  also  my  wife's  other  friends.  I  could 
wish  you  to  take  her  down,  as  I  have  no  expectation  of 
returning  till  winter  and  feel  great  uneasiness  at  her  lone- 
some situation." 

"I  shall  hope  that  my  friends  will  visit  and  endeavor 
to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  my  wife,  as  much  as  they  can,  as 
my  departure  will,  I  know,  be  a  cutting  stroke  upon  her ; 
and  on  this  account  alone  I  have  many  very  disagreeable 
sensations.  I  hope  you  and  my  sister,  (although  the  dis- 
tance is  great),  will  find  as  much  leisure  .this  summer  as  to 
spend  a  little  time  at  Mount  Vernon." 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  59. 

Brave  Exploits  of  Commodore  Whipple 

The  day  that  Washington  was  elected  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Continental  Army,  Rhode  Island  purchased 
two  sloops,  the  Providence  and  a  smaller  ship,  and  placed 
Abraham  Whipple  in  charge  of  them  to  drive  the  British 
out  of  Narragansett  Bay.  He  did  this  effectually  with  his 
little  fleet.  Abraham  Whipple  fired  the  first  shot  on  the 
sea  in  the  Revolution.  He  was  recognized  by  the  new 
government  of  the  United  States  before  John  Paul  Jones 
and  thus  became  the  first  commodore  of  the  American 
navy.  Commodore  Whipple' s  many  daring  exploits  placed 
him  beside  Paul  Jones  as  a  Revolutionary  hero.  It  is  a 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR  UITS   2 1 3 

curious  fortune  of  war  that  his  brave  deeds  have  been  so 
seldom  mentioned.  It  is  sometimes  stated  that  Whipple 
was  in  command  of  the  disguised  Indians  of  the  Boston  Tea 
Party,  but  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  escapade.  He 
conducted  an  exploit  that  required  much  more  heroism 
and  shrewdness.  This  was  the  passing  of  the  British 
blockading  fleet  off  the  coast  of  Rhode  Island,  in  1778, 
carrying  important  despatches  to  France.  He  chose  a 
stormy  night  in  April  for  this  dangerous  undertaking. 
Commanding  his  little  ship,  the  Providence,  he  hurled  a 
defiant  broadside  at  the  British  fleet  as  he  passed  through 
its  lines.  With  a  voice  stronger  than  the  gale,  he  gave  loud 
commands  to  his  men  which  confused  the  British,  but  he 
ordered  the  very  opposite  tactics  in  lower  tones  to  his  men. 
So  the  Providence  escaped  to  France  with  the  despatches  to 
Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams  and  Arthur  Lee,  the  American 
commissioners  in  Paris,  who  finally  succeeded  in  enlisting 
the  aid  of  the  French  for  the  American  war  for  independence. 
It  was  a  strange  looking  navy  of  which  Abraham 
Whipple  was  the  first  commodore.  At  his  own  expense  he 
furnished  uniforms  for  his  crews.  With  the  little  Providence 
he  patrolled  the  coast  to  defend  the  struggling  commerce  of 
the  colonies  against  many  and  larger  British  ships.  While 
in  Massachusetts  Bay  he  was  ordered  to  intercept  a  fleet 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  vessels  bound  for  the  West  Indies. 
Pretending  to  be  a  Halifax  trader,  he  joined  the  fleet  and 
by  separating  several  ships  every  night  from  the  rest,  under 
the  cover  of  darkness,  he  took  possession  of  ten  large  ves- 
sels which  he  convoyed  into  Boston  Harbor  in  triumph. 
These  ships,  laden  with  food  and  provisions,  afforded  great 
relief  to  the  blockaded  and  nearly  starved  colony.  His 
prize  was  valued  at  more  than  a  million  dollars. 

The  Story  of  the  Liberty  Bell,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  95. 

"  The  Feeble  Americans  Could  Scarce  Keep  up  with  Them !" 

After  the  tardy  repeal  of   the  obnoxious  Stamp  Act, 


214  THE  STORY '-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Franklin  returned  to  America,  in  the  spring  of  1775.  While 
he  was  crossing  the  Atlantic  the 

"  Embattled  farmers  stood 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world. " 

After  reaching  Philadelphia  Franklin  wrote  to  Edmund 
Burke,  who  was  also  friendly  to  the  colonies: 

"General  Gage's  troops  made  a  most  vigorous  retreat- 
twenty  miles  in  three  hours — scarce  to  be  paralleled  in 
history ;  the  feeble  Americans,  who  pelted  them  all  the  way 
[from  Concord  and  Lexington]  back  to  Boston  coulcj.  scarce 
keep  up  with  them!" 

While  in  London,  Franklin  explained  the  uprising  of 
the  American  people  with  the  proverb,  "The  waves  never 
rise  but  when  the  winds  blow. "  He  had  so  highly  incensed 
the  king  and  the  ministry  by  his  ardent  advocacy  of  the 
people's  cause  that  they  took  the  postmaster-generalship 
away  from  him.  While  the  members  of  the  English  govern- 
ment were  treating  him  to  a  variety  of  indignities,  William 
Pitt,  later  made  Earl  of  Chatham,  referred  to  Franklin  as 
"an  honor  not  to  the  British  nation  only,  but  to  human 
nature." 

From  Philadelphia  he  wrote  this  famous  letter  to  his 
frienci  Strahan  in  London: 

"Mr.  Strahan: 

"You  are  a  member  of  Parliament,  and  one  of  that 
majority  which  has  doomed  our  country  to  destruction. 
You  have  begun  to  burn  our  towns  and  murder  our  people. 
Look  upon  your  hands.  They  are  stained  with  the  blood 
of  your  relations!  You  and  I  were  long  friends;  you  are 
now  my  enemy,  and 

"lam 

"Yours, 

"B.  FRANKLIN." 

Tht  Franklin  Story 'Calendar.  Wayne  Whipple,  November  13  to  a6,  1 910. 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR UITS    215 


Few  Men  but  Many  Heroes 

It  was  a  bold  stand  which  the  hardy  Americans  had 
taken.  If  they  had  been  thoroughly  united  themselves 
it  would  have  been  different,  but  the  New  England  men 
had  been  so  eager  and  determined  that  they  had  not  waited 
for  others  to  join  them  but  had  gone  ahead  on  their  own 
responsibility.  In  all  the  thirteen  colonies  the  entire  popula- 
tion was  only  about  2,600,000,*  and  though  this  may  seem 
like  a  very  small  number  from  which  to  draw  forces  to 
contend  against  King  George,  we  must  not  forget  that  the 
people  of  Great  Britain  were  also  much  fewer  in  number 
than  they  are  to-day. 

As  soon  as  the  result  of  the  battle  between  the  regulars 
and  the  minute-men  was  known,  the  angry  colonies  began 
to  start  for  Boston  to  join  their  bold  fellow-patriots. 
Israel  Putnam  had  been  ploughing  in  his  fields  at  Pomfret, 
Connecticut,  when  the  report  came  to  him.  Instantly 
abandoning  his  task  he  left  word  for  the  militia  to  follow 
him,  and  leaping  upon  the  back  of  his  horse  he  rode  so 
swiftly  on  his  journey  of  a  hundred  miles  that  in  about 
eighteen  hours  he  arrived  at  Cambridge,  where  the  minute- 
men  were  assembled,  at  the  same  time  when  John  Stark 
came  down  from  New  Hampshire  with  the  first  company 
of  men  from  that  colony.  Benedict  Arnold,  who  was  then 
a  captain,  had  taken  sixty  men  from  the  assembly  of  stu- 
dents and  people  in  New  Haven,  and  soon  he,  too,  was 
with  the  little  patriot  army.  So  from  the  farms  and  hill- 
sides, from  the  villages  and  hamlets,  the  angry  colonists 
came,  and  in  a  very  brief  time  General  Gage  and  his  soldiers 
found  themselves  besieged  in  Boston  by  an  army  that  was 


*In  1 7 75  the  population  of  the  thirteen  colonies  was  said  to  be  as  follows- 
Virginia,  560  ooo  New  York, 


Massachusetts,  360 
Pennsylvania,  300 
North  Carolina  260 
Maryland,  220 

Connecticut,  200 
South  Carolina,  i&o 


New  Jersey, 


New  Hampshire, 
Rhode  Island, 
Delaware, 
Georgia, 


2i6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


made  up  of  16,000  rude  and  poorly  equipped,  but  very 
determined  men. 

Apparently  no  one  knew  just  what  to  do  next.  It  was 
determined  to  hold  the  red-coats  in  the  city,  but  what  to 
expect,  or  what  the  next  move  was  to  be,  there  was  no  one 
to  decide. 

On  the  loth  of  May  two  events  occurred  which  did 
much  to  decide  the  future  of  the  colonies,  and  of  the  war. 
One  of  these  was  the  capture  of  Fort  Ticonderoga  by  Ethan 
Allen  and  his  Green  Mountain  Boys;  and  the  other  was 
the  assembling  of  the  Continental  Congress  in  Philadelphia. 
The  chief  problem  before  the  Congress  was  the  relation  of 
the  colonies  to  the  army,  and  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  42. 

Left  Home,  Wife,  Friends,  Fortune,  and  Security,  for  the 
Risks  of  a  Rebel 

As  every  soldier  of  any  character  knows  exactly  how 
a  given  campaign  should  be  conducted,  it  is  probable  that 
many  patriots  envied  Washington  his  position;  it  is  also 
probable  that  the  position  gave  Washington  less  satisfaction 
than  it  would  have  given  to  any  other  citizen  who  might 
have  obtained  it.  His  life  since  his  marriage  had  been 
unusually  pleasant  and  he  was  fully  competent  to  enjoy  it. 
Wars  generally  find  numerous  men  very  glad  of  an  excuse 
to  leave  home,  but  Washington  had  not  even  a  cross  wife  or 
a  creditor  to  escape,  while  the  salary  attached  to  his  office, 
even  had  he  accepted  it,  would  not  have  made  good  the 
losses  sustained  by  his  estates  through  his  inability  to 
manage  his  personal  affairs.  He  left  home,  wife,  friends, 
comfort,  fortune,  and  security  for  the  risks  'of  a  soldier's 
life  and  the  chance  of  a  rebel's  doom.  Millions  of  boys 
have  gazed  enviously  at  pictures  of  Washington  taking 
command  of  the  army;  could  a  picture  of  Washington 
alone  with  his  thoughts  be  exhibited,  the  meanest  beggar 
would  not  envy  the  young  commander. 


From  the  Painting  by  Alonzo  Chappel. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA W  RECR UITS    217 

A  man's  deeds  are  matters  of  history,  and  in  Wash- 
ington's case  .the  history  was  glorious ;  but  a  man's  life  and 
character  are  the  results  of  his  birth,  education,  environ- 
ment, and  self -training,  principally  the  latter.  Wash- 
ington became  commander-in-chief  solely  by  force  of  his 
personal  character,  and  his  subsequent  achievements  were 
but  the  results  of  the  manliness  that  he  had  acquired  in 
days  when  he  was  comparatively  obscure.  All  this  has 
been  said  before  and  said  better,  but  some  facts,  like  some 
prayers,  cannot  be  repeated  too  often. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  79. 

"  The  Liberties  of  the  Country  Are  Safe ! " 

Washington  left  Philadelphia  on  his  way  to  Boston, 
June  2 1 ,  escorted  by  a  troop  of  horsemen,  and  accompanied 
by  Schuyler  and  Lee,  who  had  just  been  made  major- 
generals  by  Congress.  They  had  gone  about  twenty  miles 
when  they  saw  a  man  on  horseback  coming  rapidly  down 
the  road.  It  was  a  messenger  riding  post-haste  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  carrying  to  Congress  news  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Everybody  was  stirred  by  the  news  and 
wanted  to  know  the  particulars. 

"  WThy  were  the  provincials  compelled  to  retreat?" 
he  was  asked. 

"  It  was  for  want  of  ammunition,  "  he  replied. 

"Did  they  stand  the  fire  of  the  regular  troops?"  asked 
Washington  anxiously. 

"That  they  did,  and  held  their  own  fire  in  reserve 
until  the  enemy  was  within  eight  rods."  • 

"Then  the  liberties  of  the  country  are  safe!"  exclaimed 
Washington.  He  remembered  well  the  scenes  under  Brad- 
dock,  and  he  knew  what  a  sight  it  must  have  been  to  those 
New  England  farmers  when  a  compact  body  of  uniformed 
soldiers  came  marching  up  from  the  boats  at  Charlestown. 
If  they  could  stand  fearlessly,  there  was  stuff  in  them  to 
make  soldiers  of. 


218  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

All  along  the  route  the  people  in  the  towns  turned  out 
to  see  Washington's  cavalcade,  and  at  Newark,  a  committee 
of  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress  met  to  escort  him  to 
the  city.  There  he  left  General  Schuyler  in  command,  and 
hurried  forward  to  Cambridge,  for  the  news  of  Bunker  Hill 
made  him  extremely  anxious  to  reach  the  army. 

In  New  England,  the  nearer  he  came  to  the  seat  of  war, 
the  more  excited  and  earnest  he  found  the  people.  At 
every  town  he  was  met  by  the  citizens  and  escorted  through 
that  town  to  the  next:  This  was  done  at  New  Haven. 
The  collegians  all  turned  out,  and  they  had  a  small  band 
of  music,  at  the  head  of  which,  curiously  enough,  was  a 
Freshman  who  afterward  made  some  stir  in  the  world. 
It  was  Noah  Webster,  the  man  of  spelling-book  and  dic- 
tionary fame.  At  Springfield,  the  party  was  met  by  a 
committee  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts, 
and  at  last,  on  the  2nd  of  July,  he  came  to  Watertown,  where 
he  was  welcomed  by  the  Provincial  Congress  itself,  which 
was  in  session  there. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  146. 

A  King  of  Men 

Thus  did  that  wonderful  balance  of  mind — so  great 
that  in  his  whole  career  it  would  be  hard  to  point  out  a 
single  mistake — already  impress  his  ablest  contemporaries. 
Hand  in  hand  with  this  rare  soundness  of  judgment  there 
went  a  completeness  of  moral  self-control,  which  was  all 
the  >more  impressive  inasmuch  as  Washington's  was  by  no 
means  a  tame  or  commonplace  nature,  such  as  ordinary 
power  of  will  would  suffice  to  guide.  He  was  a  man  of 
intense  and  fiery  passions.  His  anger,  when  once  aroused, 
had  in  it  something  so  terrible  that  strong  men  were  cowed 
by  it  like  frightened  children.  This  prodigious  animal 
nature  was  curbed  by  a  will  of  iron;  and  held  in  the  service 
of  a  sweet  and  tender  soul,  into  which  no  mean  or  unworthy 
thought  had  ever  entered.  Whole-souled  devotion  to  public 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA W  RECR  UITS    2x9 

duty,  an  incorruptible  integrity  which  no  appeal  to  ambition 
or  vanity  could  for  a  moment  solicit, — these  were  attributes 
of  Washington,  as  well  marked  as  his  clearness  of  mind  and 
his  strength  of  purpose.  And  it  was  in  no  unworthy  temple 
that  Nature  had  enshrined  this  great  spirit.  His  lofty 
stature  (exceeding  six  feet),  his  grave  and  handsome  face, 
his  noble  bearing  and  courtly  grace  of  manner,  all  pro- 
claimed in  Washington  a  king  of  men. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  I,  p.  135. 

The  Foremost  Man  in  America 

So  he  rode  on  to  his  duty,  the  foremost  man  in  America. 
And,  on  the  morning  of  Monday,  the  third  day  of  July, 
I775>  General  George  Washington  rode  into  the  broad 
pastures  known  as  Cambridge  common,  and,  beneath  the 
spreading  branches  of  an  elm  tree,  which  still  stands — an 
old  tree  now,  carefully  preserved  and  famous  through  all  the 
land — he  drew  his  sword  and  in  presence  of  the  assembled 
army  and  a  crowd  of  curious  and  enthusiastic  people,  he 
took  command  of  the  Continental  army  as  general. 

He  was  forty-three  years  old — just  as  old  as  Julius 
Caesar  when  he  took  command  of  the  army  in  Gaul  and 
made  himself  great.  Just  as  old  as  Napoleon  when  he 
made  the  mistake  of  his  life  and  declared  war  against  Russia. 
But  how  different  from  these  two  conquerors  was  George 
Washington!  What  they  did  for  love  of  power  he  did  for 
love  of  liberty — sacrificing  comfort,  ease,  the  pleasures 
of  home  and  the  quiet  life  he  loved,  because  he  felt  it  to  be 
his  duty. 

.  A  gallant  soldier  he  was,  under  the  Cam- 
bridge elm  that  warm  July  morning,  he  was  what  we  call 
an  imposing  figure.  He  was  tall,  stalwart  and  erect,  with 
thick  brown  hair  drawn  back  into  a  queue,  as  all  gentlemen 
then  wore  it,  with  a  rosy  face  and  a  clear,  bright  eye — a 
strong,  a  healthy,  a  splendid-looking  man  in  his  uniform  of 
blue  and  buff,  an  epaulet  on  each  shoulder,  and,  in  his 
three-cornered  hat,  the  cockade  of  liberty.  And  the  com- 

1-16 


THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


mander-in-chief  of  the  Continental  army  looked  upon  the 
army  of  which  he  had  assumed  command  and  determined 
to  make  soldiers  of  them  and  lead  them  on  to  final  victory. 

The  True  Story  of  George  Washington,  Elbridge  S.  Brooks,  p.  81. 

The  Noblest  Man  of  His  Day 

Then,  as  now,  every  American  knew  all  about  war,  so, 
outside  the  army,  and  to  some  extent  within  it,  Washington 
was  said  to  be  not  much  of  a  general.  It  may  have  occurred 
to  the  thoughtful  few  that,  while  Howe  and  his  trained 
lieutenants  had  nothing  to  think  of  but  how  to  conquer  the 
enemy.  Washington  spent  much  of  his  time  in  wondering 
where-  his  ragged,  hungry,  ill-equipped,  badly  trained 
soldiers  were  to  get  food  and  clothing,  ammunition  and 
discipline.  All  of  the  British  were  far  from  home,  and 
many  of  the  rank  and  file  were  of  the  class  who  had  no 
homes ;  the  Americans,  on  the  contrary,  had  families,  farms, 
and  shops  within,  at  most,  a  few  days'  walk,  and  were 
always  anxious  to  get  to  them.  The  best  treated  soldiers 
are  notorious  grumblers ;  what  must  have  been  the  dissatis- 
faction in  an  army  that  was  about  as  badly  off  as  possible 
in  every  respect?  All  their  complaints  reached  Washington, 
who  supplemented  them  with  his  own  intelligent  concern 
for  their  condition.  His  writings  at  every  period  of  the 
war  show  him  to  have  been  always  keenly  alive  to  the 
material  and  moral  condition  of  his  army  and  the  effect, 
upon  the  community,  of  the  withdrawal  of  so  many  men 
from  industrial  pursuits.  The  common  impression  about 
Washington,  at  the  present  day,  is  unmistakably  due  to 
contemplation  of  the  impassive  features  which  painters 
and  sculptors  in  their  devotion  to  conventionalism,  have 
given,  the  Revolutionary  commander;  but  a  very  little 
reading  from  any  life  of  the  noblest  man  of  his  day  shows 
Washington  to  have  been  unapproachably  rich  in  those 
qualities  of  heart  which  nowadays  make  a  man's  neighbor 
pronounce  him  a  right  good  fellow. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  155. 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR  UITS    2  2 1 


The  Virginia  Fox-hunter  and  the  New  England  Farmers 

It  had  been  a  time  of  great  anxiety  to  all  men.  The 
Virginia  colonel  was  commander-in-chief ;  a  motley  army 
held  Sir  William  Howe  penned  up  in  Boston,  and  why  he  so 
quietly  accepted  this  sheep-like  •  fate  no  man  of  us  could 
comprehend.  My  aunt,  a  great  letter- writer,  had  many 
correspondents,  and  one  or  two  in  the  camp  at  Cambridge. 

"My  Virginia  fox-hunter,"  said  my  aunt,  "is  having 
evil  days  with  the  New  England  farmers.  He  is  disposed 
to  be  despotic,  says— well,  no  matter  who.  He  likes  the 
whipping-post  too  well,  and  thinks  all  should,  like  himself, 
serve  without  pay.  A  slow  man  it  is,  but  intelligent," 
says  my  Aunt  Gainor ;  "  sure  to  get  himself  right,  and 
patient  too.  You  will  see,  Hugh;  he  will  come  slowly  to 
understand  these  people." 

I  smiled  at  the  good  lady's  confidence,  and  yet  she  was 
right.  They  took  him  ill  at  first  in  that  undisciplined 
camp,  and  queer  things  were  said  of  him.  Like  the  rest, 
he  was  learning  the  business  of  war,  and  was  to  commit 
many  blunders  and  get  sharp  lessons  in  this  school  of  the 
soldier. 

These  were  everywhere  uneasy  times.  Day  after  day 
we  heard  of  this  one  or  that  one  gone  to  swell  the  ever- 
changing  number  of  those  who  beset  Sir  William.  Gon- 
dolas— most  unlike  gondolas  they  were — were  being  built 
in  haste  for  our  own  river  defense.  Committees,  going 
from  house  to  house,  collected  arms,  tent-stuffs,  kettles, 
blankets,  and  what  not,  for  our  troops.  There  were  noisy 
elections,  arrests  of  Tories;  and  in  October  the  death  of 
Peyton  Randolph,  ex-president  of  the  Congress,  and  the 
news  of  the  coming  of  the  Hessian  hirelings.  It  was  a 
season  of  stir,  angry  discussion,  and  stern  waiting  for  what 
was  to  come. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D..  p.  aa6. 


222  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


"  Their  Spirit  Has  Exceeded  Their  Strength" 

The  commander-in-chief  found  himself  heartily  sup- 
ported by  Massachusetts  local  spirit,  although  the  people 
are  best  described  by  Washington's  words  concerning  the 
soldiers:  "Their  spirit  has  exceeded  their  strength."  He 
had  some  valuable  assistants — Lee,  though  a  soldier  of 
fortune,  and  what  would  now  be  called  a  crank,  was 
an  able  disciplinarian;  Israel  Putnam  never  had  an  equal 
for  getting  work  out  of  men  when  some  able  head  had 
explained  to  him  what  the  work  ought  to  be;  and 
Artemas  Ward,  the  senior  major-general,  although  he  soon 
satisfied  himself  that  his  earlier  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel, 
in  a  force  sent  against  the  Indians,  was  as  high  as  his  mili- 
tary abilities  entitled  him  to,  was  an  educated  gentleman, 
and  large-brained  lawyer  and  legislator,  whose  sense  of 
order  and  regard  for  the  cause  made  him  quite  valuable. 
Gates  was  very  useful  as  adjutant-general.  Greene's 
memory  was  heavily  charged  with  scientific  theories  of  war, 
which  his  intelligence  enabled  him  to  put  into  successful 
practice  whenever  opportunity  offered.  There  were  also 
some  trustworthy  war  governors,  with  Trumbull  of  Con- 
necticut at  their  head. 

Washington  promptly  proceeded  to  fortify  his  lines, 
and,  like  every  other  new  commander,  he  with  equal  ce- 
lerity asked  for  more  money  and  men.  The  fortifications 
he  possessed  almost  at  once,  for  they  depended  only  upon 
his  own  order  and  Yankee  picks  and  shovels;  the  funds 
and  re-enforcements  came  more  slowly,  for  they  had  to  be 
obtained  through  Congress,  and  all  congresses  are  alike 
in  their  inability  to  do  a  little  work  before  they  have  done 
a  great  deal  of  talk. 

True  to  Virginian  ancestry  and  tradition,  Washington 
kept  " open  house"  at  Cambridge.  If  any  man  thinks  that 
this,  at  least,  was  easy  enough  to  do,  let  him  first  load  his 
heart  with  everybody's  else  troubles,  and  then  try  to  play 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RAW  RECRUITS    223 

the  genial  host  to  a  different  score  or  two  of  chance  visitors 
every  day.  Every  body  who  was  in  trouble  complained 
to  Washington;  even  Schuyler,  who  was  certainly  one  of 
the  noblest  characters  of  the  Revolutionary  period,  allowed 
his  affection  for  his  chief  to  manifest  itself  in  repinings; 
but  to  his  credit  be  it  said  that  Washington's  confessions 
of  similar  troubles  made  New  York's  major-general  ashamed 
of  himself.  Delegations  from  exposed  sea-coast  towns 
begged  men  and  arms  from  Washington,  instead  of  turning 
out  their  local  militia.  From  this  period  of  torment  dates 
the  impression,  which  never  gained  a  foothold  in  Virginia, 
that  Washington  was  by  nature  reserved  and  unsym- 
pathetic. Any  true  man  learns,  by  listening  to  the  com- 
plaints of  other  men,  to  confine  his  own  bemoanings  to  his 
God  and  his  wife,  and  to  keep  his  heart  off  his  sleeve,  lest 
haply  it  may  not  be  equal  to  the  service  demanded  of  it  in 
its  proper  place. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  84. 

.      "  General  Gage,  Take  Care  of  If  our  Nose !" 

What  the  life  and  duties  of  the  soldiers  were  may 
perhaps  be  better  understood  by  the  following  letter  of 
William  Emerson,  a  chaplain  in  the  army  at  Cambridge, 
written  not  long  after  Washington  assumed  command  of 
the  forces: 

"  New  lords,  new  laws.  The  generals,  Washington 
and  Lee,  are  upon  the  lines  every  day.  New  orders  from 
his  excellency  are  read  to  the  respective  regiments  every 
morning  after  prayers.  The  strictest  government  is  taking 
place  and  the.  greatest  distinction  is  made  between  the 
officers  and  soldiers.  Every  one  is  made  to  know  his  place 
and  keep  it,  or  be  tied  up  and  receive  thirty  or  forty  lashes 
according  to  his  crime.  Thousands  are  at  work  every  day 
from  four  till  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  is  sur- 
prising how  much  work  has  been  done.  The  lines  are 
extended  almost  from  Cambridge  to  the  Mystic  River;  so 


224  '  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

that  very  soon  it  will  be  morally  impossible  for  the  enemy 
to  get  between  the  works,  except  in  one  place  which  is 
supposed  to  be  left  purposely  unfortified,  to  entice  the 
enemy  out  of  their  fortresses.  Who  would  have  thought 
twelve  months  past  that  all  Cambridge  and  Charlestown 
would  be  covered  over  with  American  camps  and  cut  up 
into  forts  and  intrenchments,  and  all  the  lands,  fields,  and 
orchards  laid  common — horses  and  cattle  feeding  in  the 
choicest  mowing  land,  whole  fields  of  corn  eaten  down  to 
the  ground,  and  large  parks  of  well  regulated  locusts  cut 
down  for  fire-wood  and  other  public  uses.  This,  I  must 
say,  looks  a  little  melancholy.  My  quarters  are  at  the 
foot  of  the  famous  Prospect  Hill,  where  such  preparations 
are  made  for  the  reception  of  the  enemy.  It  is  very  divert- 
ing to  walk  among  the  camps.  They  are  as  different  in 
their  form  as  the  owners  are  in  their  dress,  and  every  tent 
is  a  portraiture  of  the  temper  and  taste  of  the  persons 
who  encamp  in  it.  Some  are  made  of  boards  and  some 
of  sail-cloth;  some  partly  of  one  and  partly  of  the  other. 
Again,  others  are  made  of  stone  or  turf,  brick  or  brush. 
Some  are  thrown  up  in  a  hurry;  others  are  curiously 
wrought  with  doors  and  windows,  done  with  wreaths  and 
withes,  in  the  manner  of  a  basket.  Some  are  your  proper 
tents  and  marquees,  looking  like  the  regular  camp  of  the 
enemy.  In  these  are  the  Rhode  Islanders,  who  are  fur- 
nished with  tent  equipage  and  everything  in  the  most 
exact  English  style.  However,  I  think  this  great  variety 
rather  a  beauty  than  a  blemish  in  the  army. " 

The  bulk  of  the  army  at  Cambridge  had  been  made  up 
of  men  from  the  New  England  colonies,  of  whom  naturally 
Massachusetts  had  provided  the  largest  number.  Others 
were  hastening,  however,  to  join  the  ranks,  and  in  some  of 
the  colonies,  notably  Pennsylvania,  so  great  was  the  enthu- 
siasm that  measures  had  to  be  taken  to  restrict  the  numbers. 
One  of  the  colonial  newspapers  informs  us  of  the  unique 
method  employed  by  one  leader  to  select  the  best  men 


Gen.   Daniel   Morgan 


Gen.   Artemas    Ward 


Gen.   Israel   Putnam  Gen.   Henry  Knox 

PORTRAITS  OF  FOUR  GENERALS   BESIEGING  BOSTON 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR UITS    225 

without  giving  offense  to  those  who  might  not  be  chosen. 
He  took  a  piece  of  chalk  and  drew  on  a  board  a  nose  of  ordi- 
nary size.  Then  he  placed  his  drawing  at  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  line  and  declared  that 
those  who  should  shoot  nearest  to  the  mark  should  go  to 
Cambridge  with  him.  More  than  sixty  hit  the  mark,  and 
the  newspaper  sagely  concludes  its  description  of  the 
incident  by  remarking: 

"General  Gage,  take  care  of  your  nose!" 
"Daniel  Morgan's  rifle-men, "  composed  for  the  most 
part  of  pioneers  from  Virginia,  together  with  a  few  from 
Maryland  and  Western  Pennsylvania,  were  among  the  best 
of  the  recruits,  although  the  New  England  men  were  not  as 
cordial  in  their  welcome  as  they  might  have  been  owing 
to  their  prejudice  against  Irishmen,  for  the  majority  of  this 
band  were  of  Irish  birth.  They  were  famous  for  their  skill 
with  the  rifle,  and  it  is  said  that  on  the  run  through  the 
forest  they  could  load  their  guns  and  that  every  man  was 
able  to  hit  a  running  squirrel  at  a  distance  of  three  hundred 
yards.  The  garb  of  these  sharp-shooters  was  also  unique, 
and  every  one  wore  a  loose  hunting  shirt,  on  the  front 
of  which  were  the  well-known  words  of  Patrick  Henry, 
"Liberty  or  Death."  The  leader  of  this  band,  Daniel 
Morgan  himself,  was  as  unique  as  his  men.  Born  in  New 
Jersey,  of  Welsh  descent,  he  was  a  giant  in  stature  and 
possessed  of  a  physical  strength  almost  beyond  belief.  At 
one  time  he  had  received  five  hundred  lashes  on  the  bare 
back  by  the  order  of  a  British  officer,  and  at  another  he  had 
escaped  from  the  Indians  after  having  been  shot  through 
the  neck  by  a  rifle  ball . 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  70. 

Most  Unsoldier-like  in  Figure 

The  army,  if  we  may  call  it  by  that  name,  which  was 
besieging  Boston  was  composed  almost  exclusively  of  New 
Englanders.  But  it  was  joined  during  the  summer  by  a  few. 


226  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

troops  from  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia, 
who  aroused  much  interest,  because  they  were  expected 
to  make  deadly  use  of  the  rifle  at  three  hundred  yards 
instead  of  using  the  smooth-bore  musket,  which  was  useless 
at  only  half  that  distance.  .  . 

No  money  had  to  be  appropriated  to  buy  their  weapons, 
for,  like  the  Boer  of  South  Africa,  each  one  of  them  pro- 
cured his  rifle  by  taking  it  down  from  the  pegs  on  which  it 
rested  above  his  fireplace.  He  slung  his  own  powder-horn 
across  his  shoulder  and  strapped  his  bullet-pouch  around 
nis  waist. 

As  for  his  uniform,  it  consisted  of  a  round  hat,  which 
could  be  bought  for  a  trifle  at  any  country  store,  and  a 
garment  made  at  home  by  his  wife,  and  sometimes  called 
a  smock-frock,  which  was  nothing  more  than  a  shirt  belted 
around  the  waist  and  hanging  down  over  the  hips  instead 
of  being  tucked  into  the  trousers.  It  was  the  same  sort  of 
garment  used  by  farm  laborers,  and  it  was  made  of  the 
cotton  cloth  which  is  now  used  for  overalls,  or  of  ticking 
such  as  we  use  to  cover  mattresses  and  pillows.  When 
used  in  the  woods  it  was  called  a  rifle-shirt  or  hunting- shirt, 
was  sometimes  ornamented  with  a  fringed  cape,  and  into 
its  ample  looseness  above  the  belt  were  stuffed  loaves  of 
bread,  salt  pork,  dried  venison,  a  frying-pan,  or  a  coffee- 
pot, until  the  hardy  woodsman  became  most  unsoldier- 
like  in  figure. 

The  True  Story  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  359. 

"An  Egregious  Want  of  Public  Spirit" 

No  offensive  movement  was  attempted  by  the  British, 
and  Washington  was  unable  to  provoke  a  fight.  There  were 
times  when  the  troops  in  Boston  could  have  broken  the 
colonial  line,  doubled  up  the  pieces,  sent  part  of  the  farmers 
flying  home,  and  turned  the  others  into  bushwhackers,  and 
probably  the  British  general  longed  to  do  it,  but  he  was 
acting  under  orders.  George  III,  though  his  intellect  had 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR UITS    227 

never  ripened,  was  not  a  ferocious  man,  and  he  preferred  to 
conquer  peaceably  if  possible,  while  Lord  North,  although 
a  time-server,  was  a  man  of  brains.  If  they  believed  that 
the  Yankees  could  be  wearied  into  submission,  they  were  not 
far  from  right,  for  there  were  times  when  all  the  persuasions 
of  all  the  nobler  heads  and  hearts  in  the  army  were  necessary 
to  prevent  the  early  enthusiasts  from  breaking  ranks  and 
going  home.  While  the  weather  remained  warm  soldiering 
in  front  of  Boston  was  simply  glorious  picnicking,  but  when 
cold  nights  began,  and  overcoats  were  scarce,  and  a  turn 
on  guard  seemed  harder  work  than  a  ten-mile  walk  to  a 
country  dance,  the  boys  felt  homesick.  Many  a  homesick 
Yankee  has  tramped  and  fought  his  way  alone  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific;  how  tremendous,  then,  must  have 
been  the  temptation  to  desert  from  the  lines  before  Bos- 
ton when  home  was  near  by  and  the  road  led  through  a 
friendly  country!  Besides,  the  original  term  of  enlistment 
of  most  of  the  troops  would  expire  with  the  year. 

Washington  himself  was  homesick  from  the  beginning 
of  the  war  to  the  end,  and  realized  the  possibility  of  finding 
himself  without  an  army.  He  was  therefore  anxious  to 
attack  the  enemy,  but  he  was  always  restrained  by  Congress 
or  a  council  of  war,  or  both.  Through  long  furloughs  many 
re-enlistments  were  secured,  and  at  the  beginning  of  1776  he 
still  had  an  army,  but  at  a  terrible  cost  to  his  own  patience 
and  his  regard  for  his  countrymen.  He  complained  to 
Congress  of  "an  egregious  want  of  public  spirit"  in  New 
England,  and  that  "instead  of  pressing  to  be  engaged  in 
the  cause  of  their  country,  which  I  vainly  flattered  myself 
would  be  the  case,  I  find  we  are  likely  to  be  deserted  in  a 
most  critical  time." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  88. 

The  Ministers  Who  Provoked  and  Prolonged  the  Revolution 

The  administrations  of  the  English  government,  from 
1760  to  the  close  of  our  Revolutionary  war,  were  more  or 


228  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


less  directed  by  the  intriguing  incapacity  of  the  king. 
George  the  Third  is  said  to  have  possessed  many  private 
virtues, — and  very  private  for  a  long  time  he  kept  them  from 
his  subjects, — but,  as  a  monarch,  he  was  without  magna- 
nimity in  his  sentiments  or  enlargement  in  his  ideas ;  preju- 
diced, uncultivated,  bigoted,  and  perverse;  his  boasted 
morality  and  piety,  when  exercised  in  the  sphere  of  govern- 
ment, partook  of  the  narrowness  of  his  mind  and  the 
obstinacy  of  his  will ;  his  conscience  being  used  to  transmute 
his  hatreds  into  duties,  and  his  religious  sentiment  to  sanctify 
his  vindictive  passions;  and  as  it  was  his  ambition  to  rule 
an  empire  by  the  petty  politics  of  a  court,  he  preferred  rather 
to  have  his  folly  flattered  by  parasites  than  his  ignorance 
enlightened  by  statesmen.  Such  a  disposition  in  the  king 
of  a  free  country  was  incompatible  with  efficiency  in  the 
conduct  of  affairs,  as  it  split  parties  into  factions  and  made 
established  principles  yield  to  personal  expedients.  Bute, 
the  king's  first  minister,  after  a  short  administration  unex- 
ampled for  corruption  and  feebleness,  gave  way  before  a 
storm  of  popular  contempt  and  hatred.  To  him  succeeded 
George  Grenville,  the  originator  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  the 
blundering  promoter  of  American  Independence.  Grenville 
was  a  hard,  sullen,  dogmatic,  penurious  man  of  affairs,  with 
a  complete  mastery  of  the  details  of  parliamentary  business, 
and  threading  with  ease  all  the  labyrinths  of  English  law, 
but  limited  in  his  conceptions,  fixed  in  his  opinions,  without 
any  of  that  sagacity  which  reads  results  in  their  principles, 
and  chiefly  distinguished  for  a  kind  of  sour  honesty,  not 
infrequently  found  in  men  of  harsh  tempers  and  technical 
intellects.  It  was  soon  discovered  that,  though  imperious 
enough  to  be  a  tyrant,  he  was  not  servile  enough  to  be  a 
tool ;  that  the  same  domineering  temper  which  enabled  him 
to  push  arbitrary  measures  in  Parliament,  made  him  put 
insolent  questions  in  the  closet;  and  the  king,  in  despair 
of  a  servant  who  could  not  tax  America  and  persecute  Wilkes. 
without  at  the  same  time  insulting  his  master,  dismissed 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR  UITS   2  2  g 

him  for  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham,  a  leader  of  the  great 
Whig  connection,  and  a  sturdy  friend  of  the  colonists  both 
before  the  Revolution  and  during  its  progress.  Under  him 
the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed;  but  his  administration  soon 
proved  too  liberal  to  satisfy  the  politicians  who  governed 
the  understanding  of  the  king ;  and  the  experiment  was  tried 
of  a  composite  ministry,  put  together  by  Chatham,  consist- 
ing of  members  selected  from  different  factions,  but  without 
any  principle  of  cohesion  to  unite  them;  and  the  anarchy 
inherent  in  the  arrangement  became  portentously  apparent, 
when  Chatham,  driven  by  the  gout  into  a  state  of  nervous 
imbecility,  left  it  to  work  out  its  mission  of  misrule  and  its 
eccentric  control  was  seized  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, the  gay,  false,  dissipated,  veering,  presumptuous, 
and  unscrupulous  Charles  Townshend.  This  man  was  so 
brilliant  and  fascinating  as  an  orator  that  Walpole  said  of 
one  of  his  speeches,  that  it  was  like  hearing  Garrick  act 
extempore  scenes  from  Congreve;  but  he  was  without  any  • 
guiding  moral  or  political  principles;  and,  boundlessly 
admired  by  the  House  of  Commons  and  boundlessly  craving 
its  admiration,  he  seemed  ever  to  act  from  the  impulses 
of  vanity,  aiyi  speak  ever  from  the  inspiration  of  cham- 
pagne. Grenville,  smarting  under  his  recent  defeat,  but 
still  doggedly  bent  on  having  a  revenue  raised  in  America, 
missed  no  opportunity  of  goading  this  versatile  political 
roue  with  his  exasperating  sarcasms.  "You  are  cowards, " 
he  said  on  one  occasion,  turning  to  the  Treasury  bench; 
"you  are  afraid  of  the  Americans;  you  dare  not  tax 
America."  Townshend,  stung  by  this  taunt,  started  pas- 
sionately up  from  'his  seat,  exclaiming,  "Fear!  cowards! 
dare  not  tax  America?  I  do  dare  tax  America!"  and  this 
boyish  bravado  ushered  in  the  celebrated  bill,  which  was 
to  cost  England  thirteen  colonies,  add  a  hundred  millions 
of  pounds  to  her  debt,  and  affix  a  stain  on  her  public  charac- 
ter. Townshend,  by  the  grace  of  a  putrid  fever,  was  saved 
from  witnessing  the  consequences  of  his  vainglorious  pre- 


23  o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

sumption;  and  the  direction  of  his  policy  eventually  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Lord  North,  a  good-natured,  second-rate, 
jobbing  statesman,  equally  destitute  of  lofty  virtues  and 
splendid  vices,  under  whose  administration  the  American 
war  was  commenced  and  prosecuted.  Of  all  the  ministers 
of  George  the  Third, "North  was  the  most  esteemed  by  his 
sovereign;  for  he  had  the  tact  to  follow  plans  which  origi- 
nated in  the  king's  unreasoning  brain  and  wilful  disposition, 
and  yet  to  veil  their  weak  injustice  in  a  drapery  of  arguments 
furnished  from  his  own  more  enlarged  mind  and  easier 
temper.  Chatham  and  Camden  thundered  against  him  in 
the  Lords ;  Burke  and  Fox  raved  and  shouted  statesmanship 
to  him  in  the  Commons,  and  screamed  out  the  maxims  of 
wisdom  in  ecstasies  of  invective;  but  he,  good-naturedly 
indifferent  to  popular  execration,  and  sleeping  quietly 
through  whole  hours  of  philippics  hot  with  threats  of 
impeachment,  pursued  his  course  of  court-ordained  folly 
with  the  serene  composure  of  a  Ulysses  or  a  Somers.  The 
war,  as  conducted  by  his  ministry,  was  badly  managed; 
but  he  had  one  wise  thought  which  happily  failed  to  become 
a  fact.  The  command  in  America  was  offered  to  Lord 
Clive;  but,  fortunately  for  us,  Clive,  at  abo^ut  that  time, 
concluded  to  commit  suicide,  and  our  rustic  soldiery  were 
thus  saved  from  meeting  in  the  field  a  general,  who,  in  vigor 
of  will  and  fertility  of  resource,  was  unequalled  by  any 
European  commander  who  had  appeared  since  the  death 
of  Marlborough.  It  may  here  be  added,  that  Lord  North's 
plans  of  conciliation  were  the  amiabilities  of  tyranny  and 
benignities  of  extortion.  They  bring  to  mind  the  little 
French  fable,  wherein  a  farmer  convokes  the  tenants  of  his 
barn-yard,  and  with  sweet  solemnity  says,  "  Dear  animals, 
I  have  assembled  you  here  to  advise  me  what  sauce  I  shall 
cook  you  with."  "But,"  exclaims  an  insurrectionary 
chicken,  "  We  don't  want  to  be  eaten  at  all " — to  which  the 
urbane  chairman  replies,  "My  child  you  wander  from  the 
point!" 

Character  and  Characteristic  Men,  Edwin  P.  Whipple,  p.  298. 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RAW  RECRUITS    23 1 


Provisions,  Discipline,  Ammunition,  Scarce 

But  any  conceit  he  may  have  indulged  in  was  speedily 
knocked  out  of  him  when  he  rode  through  the  lines  to  inspect 
his  men.  He  knew  that  in  Boston  were  four  experienced 
English  officers — Generals  Gage,  Howe,  Clinton  and  Bur- 
goyne — the  latter,  although  he  wrote  two  plays  and  was 
compelled  to  surrender  at  Saratoga,  was  far  more  of  a  man 
than  Americans  have  believed.  These  officers  had  11,000 
well  disciplined  and  equipped  soldiers,  and  there  was  a  strong 
British  fleet  in  the  bay.  To  combat  this  force  Washington 
had  14,000  men,  who,  on  leaving  their  homes  had  been  so 
heavily  loaded  with  patriotism  that  they  had  not  been  able 
to  bring  anything  else.  They  were  full  of  fight,  and  each 
man  knew  exactly  how  the  war  should  be  conducted,  but 
they  were  so  deficient  in  ammunition  that  a,  ten-minute 
engagement  would  have  exhausted  it,  as  Washington  acci- 
dentally discovered  while  trying  to  provoke  a  fight. 

Discipline  was  about  as  scarce  as  ammunition,  and 
officers  competent  to  require  and  maintain  it  were  wanting. 
A  Rhode  Island  brigadier,  son  of  a  Quaker  miller  named 
Greene,  formed  in  himself  and  his  little  command  a  pleasing 
exception  to  the  rule,  and  afterward  demonstrated  his 
superiority  to  all  of  the  Indian  fighters,  except  Washington, 
who  outranked  him  at  the  start;  but  most  of  the  officers 
were  stout-hearted,  hard-headed  fellows,  who  respected 
their  men  who  had  elected  them  far  too  much  to  ask  them 
to  do  anything  so  distasteful  as  drill.  Provisions  were 
scarce,  medical  attendance  was  insufficient,  there  were  no 
defenses  worth  the  name,  and  worst  of  all,  there  was  no 
money. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  83. 

Scouring  the  Country  for  Powder 

By  the  end  of  July  the  army  was  in  a  better  posture 
cf  defence,  and  then  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  month, 


23 2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

as  the  prospect  was  brightening,  it  was  suddenly  discovered 
that  there  was  no  gunpowder.  An  undrilled  army,  imper- 
fectly organized,  was  facing  a  disciplined  force  and  had  only 
some  nine  rounds  in  the  cartridge-boxes.  Yet  there  is  no 
quivering  in  the  letters  from  headquarters.  Anxiety  and 
strain  of  nerve  are  apparent;  but  a  resolute  determination 
rises  over  all,  supported  by  a  ready  fertility  of  resource. 
Couriers  flew  over  the  country  asking  for  powder  in  every 
town  and  in  every  village.  A  vessel  was  even  dispatched 
to  the  Bermudas  to  seize  there  a  supply  of  powder,  of  which 
the  general,  always  listening,  had  heard.  Thus  the  immedi- 
ate and  grinding  pressure  was  presently  relieved,  but  the 
staple  of  war  still  remained  pitifully  and  perilously  meager 
all  through  the  winter. 

Meantime,  while  thus  overwhelmed  with  the  cares 
immediately  about  him,  Washington  was  watching  the  rest 
of  the  country.  He  had  a  keen  eye  upon  Johnson  and  his 
Indians  in  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk;  he  followed  sharply 
every  movement  of  Tryon  and  the  Tories  in  New  York;  he 
refused  with  stern  good  sense  to  detach  troops  to  Connecticut 
and  Long  Island,  knowing  well  when  to  give  and  when  to  say 
No,  a  difficult  monosyllable  for  the  new  general  of  freshly 
revolted  colonies.  But  if  he  would  not  detach  in  one  place, 
he  was  ready  enough  to-  do  in  another.  He  sent  one  expe- 
dition by  Lake  Champlain,  under  Montgomery,  to  Montreal, 
and  gave  Arnold  picked  troops  to  march  through  the  wilds 
of  Maine  and  strike  Quebec.  The  scheme  was  bold  and 
brilliant,  both  in  conception  and  in  execution,  and  came 
very  near  severing  Canada  forever  from  the  British  crown. 
A  chapter  of  little  accidents,  each  one  of  which  proved  as  fatal 
as  it  was  unavoidable,  a  moment's  delay  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham,  and  the  whole  campaign  failed;  but  there  was  a 
grasp  of  conditions,  a  clearness  of  perception,  and  a  cAmpre- 
hensiveness  about  the  plan,  which  stamp  it  as  the  work 
of  a  great  soldier,  who  saw  besides  the  military  importance, 
the  enormous  political  value  held  out  by  the  chance  ci 
such  a  victory. 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR  UITS    233 

The  daring,  far-reaching  quality  of  this  Canadian 
expedition  was  more  congenial  to  Washington's  temper 
and  character  than  the  wearing  work  of  the  siege.  All  that 
man  could  do  before  Boston  was  done,  and  still  Congress 
expected  the  impossible,  and  grumbled  because  without 
ships  he  did  not  secure  the  harbor.  He  himself,  while  he 
inwardly  resented  such  criticism,  chafed  under  the  monoto- 
nous drudgery  of  the  intrenchments.  He  was  longing,  accord- 
ing to  his  nature,  to  fight,  and  was,  it  must  be  confessed, 
quite  ready  to  attempt  the  impossible  in  his  own  way. 
Early  in  September  he  proposed  to  attack  the  town  in  boats 
and  by  the  neck  of  land  at  Roxbury,  but  the  council  of 
officers  unanimously  voted  against  him.  A  little  more  than 
a  month  later  he  planned  another  attack,  and  was  again 
voted  down  by  his  officers.  Councils  of  war  never  fight,  it  is 
said,  and  perhaps  in  this  case  it  was  well  that  such  was  their 
habit,  for  the  schemes  look  rather  desperate  now.  To  us 
they  serve  to  show  the  temper  of  the  man,  and  also  his  self- 
control,  for  Washington  was  ready  enough  to  over-ride 
councils  when  wholly  free  from  doubt  himself. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  139. 

Trials  with  Friend  and  Foe 

Washington  had  for  his  headquarters  the  beautiful 
colonial  house  in  Cambridge  occupied  a  hundred  years  later 
by  the  poet  Longfellow.  In  this  house  his  wife  visited  him 
during  the  long  campaign  around  Boston.  He  found  his 
men  a  most  unsoldierlike  crowd  in  discipline  and  appearance. 
The  men  elected  officers  who  let  them  have  their  own  way. 
Of  .these  Washington  once  wrote : 

"There  is  no  such  thing  as  getting  officers  of  this  stamp 
to  carry  orders  into  execution — to  curry  favor  with  the 
men  (by  whom  they  were  chosen,  and  on  whose  smile  they 
may  possibly  think  they  may  again  rely)  seems  to  be  one 
of  the  principal  objects  of  their  attention.  I  have  made  a 
pretty  good  slam  amongst  such  kind  of  officers  as  the  Massa- 


234  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

chusetts  government  abounds  in,  since  I  came  into  this 
camp,  having  broke  one  colonel  and  two  captains  for  cow- 
ardly behavior  in  the  action  on  Bunker  Hill,  two  captains  for 
drawing  more  pay  and  provisions  than  they  had  men  in  their 
company,  and  one  for  being  absent  from  his  post  when  the 
enemy  appeared  there  and  burnt  a  house  just  by  it.  Be- 
sides these  I  have  at  this  time  one  colonel,  one  major,  one 
captain  and  two  subalterns  under  arrest  for  trial.  In  short 
I  spare  none  and  yet  fear  it  will  not  all  do,  as  these  people 
seem  to  be  too  attentive  to  everything  but  their  own  in- 
terests. " 

It  was  an  army  of  everything  but  soldiers,  in  the  chil- 
dren's "button  charm:"  "Rich  man,  poor  man,  beggar 
man,  thief,  doctor,  lawyer,  merchant,  chief,  tinker, 'tailor, " 
and  farmer — instead  of  "  soldier,  sailor,  " — and  so  on  through 
the  childish  lingo 

General  Gage,  the  British  commander  in  Boston, 
had  treated  the  "rebel"  prisoners  as  if  they  were  criminals, 
and  replied  to  Washington's  remonstrances  to  this  in  con- 
temptuous and  even  scurrilous  terms.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  end  to  the  stupidity  and  arrogance  of  the  commanders 
the  British  Government  sent  over  to  America.  Gage  sneered 
at  Washington's  "usurped  authority,"  and  called  the 
Americans  "criminals" — about  to  be  hanged.  Washington 
replied  with  cool  dignity: 

"My  duty  now  makes  it  necessary  to  apprise  you  that 
for  the  future  I  shall  regulate  all  my  conduct  toward  those 
gentlemen  who  are  or  may  be  in  our  possession  exactly  by 
the  rule  you  shall  observe  towards  those  of  ours  now  in  your 
custody." 

In  reply  to  Gage's  allusions  to  Washington  himself  there 
is  a  touch  of  sarcasm: 

"You  affect,  sir,  to  despise  all  rank  not  derived  from 
the  same  source  as  your  own.  I  cannot  conceive  one  more 
honorable  than  that  which  flows  from  the  uncorrupted 
choice  of  a  brave  and  free  people,  the  purest  source  and 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RAW  RECRUITS   235 

original  fountain  of  all  power.  Far  from  making  it  a  plea 
for  cruelty,  a  mind  of  true  magnanimity  and  enlarged  ideas 
would  comprehend  and  respect  it. " 

Washington's  acquaintance  with  Gage  had  begun  twenty 
years  earlier,  in  the  Braddock  campaign.  It  is  doubtful, 
however,  if  the  British  general's  soul  possessed  "magnanim- 
ity" enough  to  appreciate  the  rebel  commander's  sarcasm. 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  August  28  to  September  4    1910. 

"Old  Put "  and  the  Fat  Woman 

As  we  learn  what  life  he  led  during  these  years 
(he  was  on  horseback  during  the  greater  part  of 
forty-eight  hours  on  one  occasion),  we  do  not  need  to 
be  assured  that  he  possessed  a  strong  constitution,  and 
still  less  that  he  grew  gray  and  blind  in  the  service  of 
his  country.  Fortunate  for  him  that  he  was  able  to 
laugh  sometimes.  For,  George  Washington  knew  how 
to  laugh  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  his  early  biographers 
to  conceal  what  in  their  eyes  was  apparently  an  in- 
firmity. While  one  of  the  several  treacheries  was  being 
unearthed  during  the  Boston  winter,  Washington  looked 
out  of  an  upper  window  at  headquarters,  and  beheld 
this  treachery's  missjTng  link  approaching — in  the  shape 
of  a  large,  fat  woman,  whom  large,  stout  General  Putnam 
had  straddled  in  front  of  him  on  his  saddle,  and  was  thus 
carrying  captive  to  the  commander.  The  commander 
appears  to  have  been  duly  convulsed.  In  the  midst  of 
matters  so  few  of  which  are  laughing  matters  it  would 
be  agreeable  to  tell  and  dwell  upon  every  instance  of 
mirth  of  the  commander  that  is  recorded;  but  we  must 
content  ourselves  with  the  knowledge  that  he  did  laugh 
heartily  more  than  once;  and  that  the  incident  of  the 
fat  woman  is  not  the  solitary  jet  of  hilarity  whose 
radiance  twinkles  in  that  dusk. 

From  an  address  on  The  Seven  Ages  of  Washington,  delivered  by  Owen  Wister 
before  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  on  University  Day,  February  22, 
1907,  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  Philadelphia,  and  reported  in  The  Alumni 
Register,  Vol.  XI,  No.  6,  p.  265. 

1-17 


236  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"Seized  Two  Brawny  Riflemen  by  the  Throat" 

One  morning,  while  Washington  was  closeted  with 
Sullivan  at  headquarters,  on  some  mission  from  the  house, 
Colonel  Glover,  of  the  Marblehead  regiment,  which  was 
encamped  in  an  enclosed  pasture  north  of  the  College,  came 
in  to  announce  that  his  men  were  in  a  state  of  mutiny. 
Washington  instantly  strode  to  his  horse,  kept  always  in 
readiness  at  the  door,  leaped  into  the  saddle,  and,  followed 
by  Gen.  Sullivan  and  Col.  Glover,  rode  at  full  gallop  to 
the  camp.  His  servant,  Pompey,  sent  in  advance  to  let 
down  the  bars,  had  just  dismounted  for  the  purpose,  when 
Washington,  coming  up  leaped  over  Pompey,  bars  and  all, 
and  darted  into  the  midst  of  the  mutineers.  It  was  on  the 
occasion  of  the  well-known  contest  between  the  fishermen 
of  Marblehead  and  the  Virginian  riflemen  under  Morgan; 
the  latter  of  whom,  in  half  Indian  equipments  of  fringed  and 
ruffled  hunting  shirts,  provoked  the  merriment  of  the  north- 
ern troops.  From  words  they  proceeded  to  blows  and  soon 
at  least  a  thousand  combatants,  armed  for  the  most  part 
with  snow-balls,  were  engaged  in  conflict.  "The  General 
threw  the  bridle  of  his  horse  into  his  servant's  hands,  and, 
rushing  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  seized  two  tall,  brawny 
riflemen  by  the  throat,  keeping  them  at  arm's  length,  talking 
to,  and  shaking  them. " 

The  Life  of  fame's  Sullivan,  T.  C.  Amory,  Vol.  I.  p.  69. 

Some  Relaxation  and  a  "Handsome  Lift" 

When  Congress  finally  determined  that  Boston  should 
be  attacked,  it  was  at  a  time  when  the  army  was  particularly 
weak  and  the  British  position  had  been  strengthened.  Of 
a  congressional  committee  of  three,  who  had  previously 
visited  the  city  to  consult  with  Washington  and  a  New 
England  committee,  the  Virginia  and  Carolina  members 
who  owned  no  property  in  Boston,  patriotically  expressed 
themselves  willing  that  the  city  should  be  burned,  if  neces- 


COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  RA  W  RECR UITS     237 

sary,  in  case  of  an  engagement,  and  even  the  Pennsylvania 
member,  Benjamin  Franklin,  of  whom  Boston  was  one  of 
the  birthplaces,  is  not  on  record  as  having  objected.  Nat- 
urally the  New  England  committee  did  not  care  to  regard 
Boston  in  the  light  of  blazing  roofs,  nor  did  they  desire  to 
see  any  thing  done  that  might  provoke  the  British  to  fire 
the  town. 

There  was  but  little  likelihood,  however,  of  the  Yankee 
cannon  setting  fire  to  Boston,  for  there  was  scarcely  any 
artillery  in  the  works  or  any  powder  with  which  to  charge 
the  nine-pounder  or  two  that  were  mounted.  Fortunately, 
one  of  the  little  cruisers  which  Washington  had .  sent  out 
captured  a  ship  loaded  with  cannon,  shot,  musket-balls, 
and  gun-flints,  but  no  powder.  A  Boston  bookseller  named 
Knox,  destined  afterward  to  become  famous,  had  gone  to 
Ticonderoga  earlier  in  the  campaign  for  some  of  the  ordinance 
captured  by  Ethan  Allen  a  year  before,  and  he  brought  it, 
too,  in  spite  of  obstacles  such  as  no  transportation  encoun- 
tered during  the  great  civil  war;  he  took  the  cannon  on 
sleds,  in  winter,  through  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire. 
Powder  was  still  lacking,  but  fortunately  Lee,  who  had  been 
sent  to  New  York  to  head  off  an  unexpected  demonstration, 
sent  Washington  a  quantity  from  the  royal  arsenal  in  that 
city. 

Washington  was  not  entirely  without  encouragement 
during  his  long  period  of  helplessness  in  front  of  Boston. 
His  wife  came  to  camp;  or,  to  speak  more  politely,  Lady 
Washington  visited  Cambridge,  so  there  was  at  least  one 
person  near  him  who  did  not  ask  for  promotion  or  a  contract, 
or  talk  about  the  state  of  the  country.  She  even  insisted 
upon  celebrating  Twelfth  Night,  the  anniversary  of  her 
wedding,  by  giving  a  grand  party,  and  although  her  husband 
at  first  objected,  she  overruled  his  objections,  and  probably 
to  his  great  benefit,  for  the  commander-in-chief  needed 
a  great  deal  more  diversion  than  usually  he  had. 

Washington's  heart   was  also  strengthened,   with  all 


23  8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

other  patriotic  hearts,  by  Lieutenant  Mowat,  R.  N.,  who 
had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  helping  the  colonial  cause 
when  he  sailed  into  Falmouth  (now  Portland,  Maine)  'and 
started  the  series  of  tremendous  conflagrations  for  which 
Portland  stands  proudly  pre-eminent  among  American 
towns.  The  burning  of  Falmouth  enabled  every  patriot 
to  hate  England  without  feeling  guilty  about  it,  and  it  even 
cured  Washington  of  whatever  love  he  may  have  had  left 
for  royal  rule,  for  the  doughty  lieutenant  announced  that 
all  other  seaports  were  to  be  treated  as  Falmouth  had  been. 
In  the  South,  Lord  Dunmore,  late  an  honored  acquaintance 
of  Washington,  gave  the  patriot  cause  a  handsome  lift  by 
burning  Norfolk. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton.  p.  93. 


Washington  elected  cominander-in-chief,    June  15,  1775 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill June  17,  1775 

Washington  took  command  of  Continental  Army, 

JulY  3.  1775 

Montgomery  captured  Montreal.  ..  November  13,  1775 
Montgomery  and  Arnold  stormed  Quebec,  Dec.  31,  1775 


i 

CHAPTER  XIII 

DRIVING  THE. BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON 
Raising  the  Grand  Union  Flag  on  New  Year's  Day,  1776  • 

The  official  origin  of  the  flag  with  thirteen  alternate 
red  and  white  stripes,  representing  the  United  Colonies, 
and  the  subjoined  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew  (the 
"king's  colors")  in  a  blue  canton,  which  was  raised  on 
Prospect  Hill,  Cambridge,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1776, 
has  never  been  satisfactorily  determined. 

A  book  on  colonial  and  revolutionary  flags,  published 
some  years  ago,  says  that  the  Colonial  Congress,  in  the  fall 
of  1775,  appointed  Messrs.  Franklin,  Harrison,  and  Lynch 
as  a  committee  to  consider  and  recommend  a  design  for  a 
colonial  flag,  and  that  the  committee  reached  Cambridge 
on  the  morning  of  December  15,  1775,  and  completed  their 
duties  before  midnight  of  that  day.  Nearly  twenty  pages 
are  devoted  to  the  discussions  that  were  engaged  in  by  the 
committee,  General  Washington,  and  two  or  three  unnamed 
persons,  relative  to  the  design  of  a  flag  for  the  standard  of 
the  army  and  navy.  It  is  stated  that  the  union  design  was 
unanimously  approved  by  the  committee  and  adopted  by 
General  Washington,  but  the  author  fails  to  give  his  au- 
thority for  that  and  other  statements  given  in  the  book, 
relative  to  the  Cambridge  flag.  ..  .  .  ,- 

General  Washington,  writing  to  Colonel  Joseph  Reed, 
his  military  secretary,  under  date  of  January  4,  1776,  says: 

"  We  are  at  length  favored  with  a  sight  of  his  majesty's 
most  gracious  speech,  breathing  sentiments  of  tenderness 
and  compassion  for  his  deluded  American  subjects!  The 
echo  is  not  yet  come  to  hand,  but  we  know  what  it  must  be ; 
and,  as  Lord  North  said  (and  we  ought  to  have  believed  and 

(239) 


24o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

acted  accordingly),  we  now  know  the  ultimatum  of  British 
justice.  The  speech  I  send  you.  A  volume  of  them  w^s 
sent  out  by  the  Boston  gentry;  and,  farcical  enough,  we 
gave  great  joy  to  them,  without  knowing  or  intending  it; 
for,  on  that  day,  the  day  which  gave  being  to  the  new  army, 
but  before  the  proclamation  came  to  hand,  we  had  hoisted 
the  Union  flag  in  compliment  to  the  United  Colonies.  But 
behold!  it  was  received  in  Boston  as  a  token  of  the  deep 
impression  the  speech  had  made  upon  us,  and  as  a  signal  of 
submission.  So  we  hear,  by  a  person  out  of  Boston,  last 
night.  By  this  time,  I  presume,  they  begin  to  think  it 
strange  we  have  not  made  a  formal  surrender  of  our  lives." 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  and  Other  American  Flags,   Peleg  D.  Harrison,  pp.  39  to  44. 

Not  the  Stars  and  Stripes 

Washington  and  his  men,  indeed,  nearly  all  the  people, 
had  to  bear  all  things,  believe  all  things,  hope  all  things, 
and  endure  all  things,  before  they  could  bring  our  beautiful 
banner  to  its  perfection  and  make  it  the  flag  of  the  free  and 
independent  nation  we  are  now  so  justly  proud  to  call  our 
own.  The  growth  of  the  flag  even  then  was  gradual  and 
slow. 

The  first  flag  .  '  •.  .  was  not  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
by  any  means.  Its  simple  colored  stripes  tell  a  most  inter- 
esting story.  It  shows  that,  even  then,  the  colonies  had  no 
idea  of  separating  from  England.  They  were  still  loyal  Eng- 
lish people  demanding  liberties  and  freedom  from  oppression 
that  they  believed  their  king  and  Parliament  ought  to  grant 
to  the  faithful  subjects  beyond  the  sea.  The  flag  that 
Franklin  and  the  Congress  devised  for  Washington  proves 
this.  Instead  of  having  stars  in  the  canton  as  they  are  now, 
they  had  the  British  flag— the  English  Cross  of  St.  George, 
in  red,  and  the  Scotch  Cross  of  St.  Andrew,  in  white,  placed 
one  over  the  other,  on  a  blue  canton.  With  this  design  they 
had  thirteen  red  and  white  stripes,  to  show  that  the  thirteen 
colonies  were  banded  together  but  still  loyal  to  the  old  flag 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON        241 

if  the  king  and  his  counsellors  would  grant  them  the  liberty 
due  to  all  Englishmen,  allow  them  to  be  represented  in  the 
English  Parliament  and  have  a  voice  in  the  affairs  of  govern- 
ment, especially  in  the  management  of  their  own  matters. 

When  this  flag  was  raised  over  the  garrison  at  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  by 
Washington  and  the  flag  committee,  it  was  greeted  with 
thirteen  cheers  and  thirteen  guns — that  is,  a  cannon  wa's 
fired  thirteen  times. 

This  flag  was  displayed  by  Washington  at  the  head  of 
the  colonial  army,  in  Cambridge,  just  across  the  river  from 
Boston,  on  New  Year's  Day,  1776,  six  months  before  the 
Continental  Congress,  in  Philadelphia,  voted  to  adopt  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  British,  when  they  saw 
the  new  banner,  seemed  to  understand  that  it  meant  that 
the  colonies  would  yield  after  all. 

The  Story  of  the  American  Flag,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  38. 

"  Obliged  to  Conceal  It  from  My  Own  Officers" 

Meanwhile,  Washington  was  incessantly  goaded  by  the 
impatient  murmurs  of  the  public,  as  we  may  judge  by  his 
letters  to  Mr.  Reed.  "  I  know  the  integrity  of  my  own 
heart,  "  writes  he,  on  the  loth  of  February ;  "  but  to  declare 
it,  unless  to  a  friend,  may  be  an  argiiment  of  vanity.  I 
know  the  unhappy  predicament  I  stand  in;  I  know  that 
much  is  expected  of  me ;  I  know  that  without  men,  without 
arms,  without  ammunition,  without  anything  fit  for  the 
accomodation  of  a  soldier,  little  is  to  be  done,  and,  what 
is  mortifying,  I  know  that  I  cannot  stand  justified  to  the 
world  without  exposing  my  own  weaknesses,  and  injuring 
the  cause,  by  declaring  my  wants ;  which  T  am  determined 
not  to  do,  further  than  unavoidable  necessity  brings  every 
man  acquainted  with  them. 

"My  own  situation  is  so  irksome  to  me  at  times,  that 
if  I  did  not  consult  the  public  good  more  than  my  tran- 
quillity, I  should  long  ere  this  have  put  everything  on  the 


242  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

cast  of  a  die.  So  far  -from  having  an  army  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  well  armed,  I  have  been  here  with  less  than 
one  half  that  number,  including  sick,  furloughed,  and  on 
command;  and  those  neither  armed  nor  clothed  as  they 
should  be.  In  short,  my  situation  has  been  such,  that  I 
have  been  obliged  to  use  art,  to  conceal  it  from  my  own 
officers." 

,    Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  217. 

The  Blockade  of  Boston 

The  siege  of  Boston  continued  through  the  winter, 
without  any  striking  incident  to  enliven  its  monotony. 
The  British  remained  within  their  works,  leaving  the 
beleaguering  army  slowly  to  augment  its  forces.  The 
country  was  dissatisfied  with  the  inaction  of  the  latter. 
Even  Congress  was  anxious  for  some  successful  blow  that 
might  revive  popular  enthusiam.  Washington  shared  this 
anxiety,  and  had  repeatedly,  in  councils  of  war,  suggested 
an  attack  upon  the  town,  but  had  found  a  majority  of  his 
general  officers  opposed  to  it.  He  had  hoped  some  favorable 
opportunity  would  present,  when,  the  harbor  being  frozen, 
the  troops  might  approach  the  town  on  ice.  The  winter, 
however,  though  severe  at  first,  proved  a  mild  one  and  the 
bay  continued  open.  General  Putnam,  in  the  mean  time, 
having  completed  the  new  works  at  Lechmere  Point,  and 
being  desirous  of  keeping  up  the  spirit  of  his  men,  resolved 
to  treat  them  to  an  exploit.  Accordingly,  from  his  "  impreg- 
nable fortress"  of  Cobble  Hill,  he  detached  a  party  of  about 
two  hundred,  under  his  favorite  officer,  Major  Knowlton, 
to  surprise  and  capture  a  British  guard  stationed  at  Charles- 
town.  It  was  a  daring  enterprise,  and  executed  with  spirit. 
As  Charlestown  Neck  was  completely  protected,  Knowlton 
led  his  men  across  the  mill-dam,  round  the  base  of  the  hill, 
and  immediately  below  the  fort ;  set  fire  to  the  guard-house 
and  some  buildings  in  its  vicinity;  made  several  prisoners, 
and  retired  without  loss:  although  thundered  upon  by  the 


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DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON        243 

cannon  of  the  fort.     The  exploit  was  attended  by  a  dramatic 
effect  on  which  Putnam  had  not  calculated. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  page  214. 

"  It  Is  a  Noble  Cause" 

Further  ammunition  being  received  from  the  royal 
arsenal  at  New  York  and  other  quarters  and  a  re-enforce- 
ment of  ten  regiments  of  militia,  Washington  no  longer  met 
with  opposition  to  his  warlike  measures.  Lechmere  Point, 
which  Putnam  had  fortified,  was  immediately  to  be  sup- 
plied with  mortars  and  heavy  cannon,  so  as  to  command 
Boston  on  the  north ;  and  Dorchester  Heights,  on  the  south 
of  the  town,  were  forthwith  to  be  taken  possession  of. 

"If  any  thing,"  said  Washington,  "will  induce  the 
enemy  to  hazard  an  engagement,  it  will  be  our  attempting 
to  fortify  those  heights,  as,  in  that  event  taking  place,  we 
shall  be  able  to  command  a  great  part  of  the  town,  and 
almost  the  whole  harbor."  Their  possession,  moreover, 
would  enable  him  to  push  his  works  to  Nook's  Hill,  and 
other  points  opposite  Boston,  whence  a  cannonade  and 
bombardment  must  drive  the  enemy  from  the  city. 

The  council  of  Massachusetts,  at  his  request,  ordered 
the  militia  of  the  towns  contiguous  to  Dorchester  and 
Roxbury,  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  repair  to  the 
lines  at  those  places  with  arms,  ammunition  and  accoutre- 
ments, on  receiving  a  preconcerted  signal. 

Washington  felt  painfully  aware  how  much  depended 
upon  the  success  of  this  attempt.  There  was  a  cloud  of 
gloom  and  distrust  lowering  upon  the  public  mind.  Danger 
threatened  on  the  north  and  south.  Montgomery  had 
fallen  before  the  walls  of  Quebec.  The  army  in  Canada 
was  shattered.  Tryon  and  the  Tories  were  plotting  mis- 
chief in  New  York.  Dunmore  was  harassing  the  lower  part 
of  Virginia,  and  Clinton  and  his  fleet  were  prowling  along 
the  coast,  on  a  secret  errand  of  mischief. 

Washington's  general  orders  evince  the  solemn  and 


244  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

anxious  state  of  his  feelings.  In  those  of  the  26th  of  Feb- 
ruary, he  forbade  all  playing  at  cards  and  other  games  of 
chance.  "  At  this  time  of  public  distress,  "  writes  he,  "  men 
may  find  enough  to  do  in  the  service  of  God  and  their  coun- 
try, without  abandoning  themselves  to  vice  and  immorality. 
It  is  a  noble  cause  we  are  engaged  in;  it  is  the  cause  of 
virtue  and  mankind;  every  advantage  and  comfort  to  us 
and  our  posterity  depend  upon  the  vigor  of  our  exertions; 
in  short,  freedom  or  slavery  must  be  the  result  of  our  con- 
duct ;  there  can,  therefore,  be  no  greater  inducement  to  men 
to  behave  well.  But  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  the  troops  to 
know,  that,  if  any  man  in  action  shall  presume  to  skulk, 
hide  himself,  or  retreat  from  the  enemy  Without  the  orders 
of  his  commanding  officer,  he  will  be  instantly  shot  down 
as  an  example  of  cowardice ;  cowards  having  too  frequently 
disconcerted  the  best  formed  troops  by  their  dastardly 
behavior. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  220. 

"  When  the  Dreadful  'Tomorrow'  Will  Be,  I  Know  Not" 

The  evening  of  Monday  the  4th  of  March  was  fixed 
upon  for  the  occupation  on  Dorchester  Heights.  The 
ground  was  frozen  too  hard  to  be  easily  intrenched ;  fascines 
therefore  and  gabions  and  bundles  of  screwed  hay  were  col- 
lected during  the  two,  preceding  nights  with  which  to  form 
breastworks  and  redoubts.  During  these  two  busy  nights 
the  enemies '  batteries  were  cannonaded  and  bombarded  from 
opposite  points  to  occupy  their  attention  and  prevent  their 
noticing  these  preparations.  They  replied  with  spirit,  and 
the  incessant  roar  of  artillery  thus  kept  up,  covered  com- 
pletely the  rumbling  of  wagons  and  ordnance. 

How  little  the  enemy  were  aware  of  what -was  impend- 
ing, we  may  gather  from  the  following  extract  of  a  letter 
from  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the  British  army  in  Bos- 
ton to  his  friend  in  London,  dated  on  the  3d  of  March: 

"  For  these  last  six  weeks  or  near  two  months,  we  have 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON        245 

been  better  amused  than  could  possibly  be  expected  in  our 
situation.  We  had  a  theatre,  we  had  balls,  and  there  is 
actually  a  subscription  on  foot  for  a  masquerade.  Eng- 
land seems  to  have  forgot  us,  and  we  have  endeavored  to 
forget  ourselves.  But  we  were  aroused  to  a  sense  of  our 
situation  last  night,  in  a  manner  unpleasant  enough.  The 
rebels  have  been  for  some  time  past  erecting  a  bomb  battery, 
and  last  night  they  began  to  play  on  us.  Two  shells  fell 
not  far  from  me.  One  fell  upon  Colonel  Monckton's  house, 
but  luckily  did  not  burst  until  it  had  crossed  the  street. 
Many  houses  were  damaged  but  no  lives  lost.  The  rebel 
army,  "  adds  he  "is  not  brave,  I  believe,  but  it  is  agreed  on 
all  hands  that  their  artillery  officers  are  at  least  equal  to 
ours. " 

The  wife  of  John  Adams,  who  resided  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  American  camp,  and  knew  that  a  general  action  was 
meditated,  expresses  in  a  letter  to  her  husband  the  feelings 
of  a  patriot  woman  during  the  suspense  of  these  nights. 

"  I  have  been  in  a  constant  state  of  anxiety,  since  you 
left  me,"  writes  she  on  Saturday.  "It  has  been  said  to- 
morrow and  tomorrow  for  this  month,  and  when  the  dread- 
ful tomorrow  will  be,  I  know  not.  But  hark!  The  house 
this  instant  shakes  with  the  roar  of  cannon.  I  have  been 
close  to  the  door,  and  find  it  is  a  cannonade  from  our  army. 
Orders,  I  find,  are  come,  for  all  the  remaining  militia  to 
repair  to  the  lines  Monday  night,  by  twelve  o'clock.  No 
sleep  for  me  tonight." 

On  Sunday  the  letter  is  resumed.  •"  I  went  to  bed 
after  twelve,  but  got  no  rest;  the  cannon  continued  firing, 
and  my  heart  kept  pace  with  them  all  night.  We  had  a 
pretty  quiet  day,  but  what  tomorrow  will  bring  forth,  God 
only  knows. " 

On  Monday,  the  appointed  evening,  she  continues: 
"I  have  just  returned  from  Penn's  Hill,  where  I  have  been 
sitting  to  hear  the  amazing  roar  of  cannon,  and  from  whence 
I  could  see  every  shell  that  was  thrown.  The  sound,  I 


246  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

think,  is  one  of  the  grandest  in  nature,  and  is  of  the  true 
species  of  the  sublime.  Tis  now  an  incessant  roar;  but 
oh,  the  fatal  ideas  which  are  connected  with  the  sound! 
How  many  of  our  dear  countrymen  must  fall ! 

"  I  went  to  bed  about  twelve,  and  rose  again  a  little 
after  one.  I  could  no  more  sleep  than  if  I  had  been  in  the 
engagement;  the  rattling  of  the  windows,  the  jar  of  the 
house,  the  continual  roar  of  twenty-four  pounders,  and  the 
bursting  of  shells,  give  us  such  ideas,  and  realize  a  scene 
to  us  of  which  we  could  scarcely  form  any  conception. 
I  hope  to  give  you  joy  of  Boston  even  if  it  is  in  ruins,  before 
I  send  this  away. ' ' 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  223. 

"With  the  Expedition  of  Genii" 

On  the  Monday  evening  thus  graphically  described, 
as  soon  as  the  firing  commenced,  the  detachment  under 
General  Thomas  set  out  on  its  cautious  and  secret  march 
from  the  lines  of  Roxbury  and  Dorchester.  Everything 
was  conducted  as  regularly  and  quietly  as  possible.  A  cov- 
ering party  of  eight  hundred  men  preceded  the  carts  with 
the  intrenching  tools ;  then  came  General  Xhomas  with  the 
working  party,  twelve  hundred  strong,  followed  by  a  train 
of  three  hundred  wagons,  laden  with  fascines,  gabions, 
and  hay  screwed  into  bundles  of  seven  or  eight  hundred 
weight.  A  great  number  of  such  bundles  were  ranged  in 
a  line  along  Dorchester  Neck  on  the  side  next  the  enemy, 
to  protect  the  troops,  while  passing,  from  being  raked  by 
the  fire  of  the  enemy.  Fortunately,  although  the  moon,  as 
Washington  writes,  was  shining  in  its  full  lustre,  the  flash 
and  roar  of  cannonry  from  opposite  points,  and  the  bursting 
of  bomb-shells  high  in  the  air,  so  engaged  and  diverted  the 
attention  of  the  enemy,  that  the  detachment  reached  the 
heights  about  eight  o'clock,  without  being  heard  or  per- 
ceived. The  covering  party  then  divided;  one  half  pro- 
ceeded to  the  point  nearest  Boston, -the  other  to  the  one 


247 


nearest  to  Castle  Williams.  The  working  party  commenced 
to  fortify,  under  the  directions  of  Gridley,  the  veteran 
engineer,  who  had  planned  the  works  on  Bunker's  Hill. 
It  was  severe  labor,  for  the  earth  was  frozen  eighteen  inches 
deep;  but  the  men  worked  with  more  than  their  usual 
spirit;  for  the  eye  of  the  commander-in-chief  was  upon 
them.  Though  not  called  there  by  his  duties,  Washington 
could  not  be  absent  from  this  eventful  preparation.  .  ;  . 

The  labors  of  the  night  were  carried  on  by  the  Americans 
with  their  usual  activity  and  address.  When  a  relief  party 
arrived  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  two  forts  were  in 
sufficient  forwardness  to  furnish  protection  against  small- 
arms  and  grape-shot ;  and  such  use  was  made  of  the  fascines 
and  bundles  of  screwed  hay,  that,  at  dawn,  a  formidable- 
looking  fortress  frowned  along  the  height.  We  have  the 
testimony  of  a  British  officer  already  quoted,  for  the  fact. 
"This  morning  at  daybreak  we  discovered  two  redoubts 
on  Dorchester  Point,  and  two  smaller  ones  on  their  flanks. 
They  were  all  raised  during  last  night,  with  an  expedition 
equal  to  that  of  the  genii  belonging  to  Aladdin's  wonderful 
lamp.  From  these  hills  they  command  the  whole  town,  so 
that  we  must  drive  them  from  their  posts,  or  desert  the 
place." 

Howe  gazed  at  the  mushroom  fortress  with  astonish- 
ment, as  it  loomed  indistinctly,  but  grandly,  through  a 
morning  fog. 

"The  rebels,"  exclaimed  he,  "have  done  more  work 
in  one  night,  than  my  whole  army  would  have  done  in  one 
month. " 

Washington  had  watched,  with  intense  anxiety,  the 
effect  of  the  revelation  at  daybreak.  "  When  the  enemy 
first  discovered  our  works  in  the  morning,"  writes  he, 
"they  seemed  to  be  in  great  cfonfusion,  and  from  their 
movements,  to  intend  an  attack. " 

L*'f<?  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  225. 


248  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Evacuate  the  Place  as  Soon  as  Possible 

An  American,  who  was  on  Dorchester  Heights,  gives 
a  picture  of  the  scene.  A  tremendous  cannonade  was 
commenced  from  the  forts  in  Boston,  and  the  shipping  in  the 
harbor.  "  Cannon  shot,  "  writes  he,  "  are  continually  rolling 
and  rebounding  over  the  hill,  and  it  is  astonishing  to  observe 
how  little  our  soldiers  are  terrified  by  them.  The  royal 
troops  are  perceived  to  be  in  motion,  as  if  embarking  to 
pass  the  harbor  and  land  on  Dorchester  shore,  to  attack 
our  works.  The  hills  and  elevations  in  this  vicinity  are 
covered  with  spectators  to  witness  deeds  of  horror  in  the 
expected  conflict.  His  excellency,  General  Washington,  is 
present,  animating  and  encouraging  the  soldiers,  and  they 
in  return  manifest  their  joy ;  and  express  a  warm  desire  for 
the  approach  of  the  enemy ;  each  man  knows  his  own  place. 
Our  breastworks  are  strengthened,  and  among  the  means 
of  defence  are  a  great  number  of  barrels,  filled  with  stones 
and  sand,  and  arranged  in  front  of  our  works,  which  are  to 
be  put  in  motion,  and  made,  to  roll  down  the  hill,  to  break 
the  legs  of  the  assailants  as  they  advance. " 

General  Thomas  was  re-inforced  with  two  thousand 
men.  Old  Putnam  stood  ready  to  make  a  descent  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  town,  with  his  four  thousand  picked  men, 
as  .soon  as  the  heights  on  the  south  should  be  assailed: 
"All  the  forenoon,"  says  the  American  above  cited,  "we 
were  in  momentary  expectation  of  witnessing  an  awful 
scene;  nothing  less  than  the  carnage  of  Breed's  Hill  battle 
was  expected." 

As  Washington  rode  about  the  heights,  he  reminded 
the  troops  that  it  was  the  5th  of  March,  the  anniversary 
of  the  Boston  massacre,  and  called  on  them  to  revenge  the 
slaughter  of  their  brethren.  They  answered  him  with 
shouts.  "Our  officers  and  men,"  writes  he,  "appeared 
impatient  for  the  appeal."  The  event,  I  think,  must  have 
neen  fortunate;  nothing  less  than  success  and  victory  on 
oui'  side." 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON        249 

In  the  evening  the  British  began  to  move.  Lord 
Percy  was  to  lead  the  attack..  Twenty-five  hundred  men 
were  embarked  in  transports,  which  were  to  convey  them 
to  the  rendezvous  at  Castle  Williams.  A  violent  storm  set 
in  from  the  east.  The  transports  could  not  reach  their 
place  of  destination.  The  men-of-war  could  not  cover  and 
support  them.  A  furious  surf  beat  on  the  shore  where  the 
boats  would  have  to  land.  The  attack  was  consequently 
postponed  until  the  following  day. 

That  day  was  equally  unpropitious.  The  storm  con- 
tinued with  torrents  of  rain.  The  attack  was  again  post- 
poned. In  the  mean  time,  the  Americans  went  on  strength- 
ening their  works ;  by  the  time  the  storm  subsided,  General 
Howe  deemed  them  too  strong  to  be  easily  carried ;  the  at- 
tempt, therefore,  was  relinquished  altogether. 

What  was  to  be  done?  The  shells  thrown  from  the 
heights  into  the  town,  proved  that  it  was  no  longer  tenable. 
The  fleet  was  equally  exposed.  Admiral  Shuldham,  the 
successor  to  Graves,  assured  Howe  that  if  the  Americans 
maintained  possession  of  the  heights,  his  ships  could  not 
remain  in  the  harbor.  It  was  determined,  therefore,  in  a 
council  of  war,  to  evacuate  the  place  as  soon  as  possible. 
But  now  came  on  a  humiliating  perplexity.  The  troops,  in 
embarking,  would  be  exposed  to  a  destructive  fire.  How 
was  this  to  be  prevented?  General  Howe's  pride  would 
not  suffer  him  to  make  capitulations,  he  endeavored  to 
work  on  the  fears  of  the  Bostonians,  by  hinting  that  if  his 
troops  were  molested  while  embarking,  he  might  be  obliged 
to  cover  their  retreat,  by  setting  fire  to  the  town. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  228. 

A  British  Burlesque  Turned  to  Melodrama 

The  British  officers  had  fitted  up  a  theatre,  which  was 
well  attended  by  the  troops  and  Tories.  On  the  even- 
ing in  question,  an  afterpiece  was  to  be  performed,  entitled 
"The  Blockade  of  Boston,"  intended  as  a  burlesque  on  the 


2  5o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

patriot  army  which  was  beleaguering  it.  Washington 
is  said  to  have  been  represented  in  it  as  an  awkward  lout, 
equipped  with  a  huge  wig,  and  a  long  rusty  sword,  attended 
by  a  country  booby  as  orderly  sergeant,  in  rustic  garb,  with 
an  old  firelock  seven  or  eight  feet  long. 

The  theatre  was  crowded,  especially  by  the  military. 
The  first  piece  was  over,  and  the  curtain  was  rising  for  the 
farce,  when  a  sergeant  made  his  appearance,  and  announced 
that  "the  alarm  guns  were  firing  at  Charlestown,  and  the 
Yankees  attacking  Bunker's  Hill."  At  first  this  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  part  of  the  entertainment,  until  General  Howe 
gave  the  word,  "Officers,  to  your  alarm  posts." 

Great  confusion  ensued;  every  one  scrambled  out  of 
the  theatre  as  fast  as  possible.  There  was,  as  usual,  some 
shrieking  and  fainting  of  the  ladies;  and  the  farce  of  "The 
Blockade  of  Boston  "  had  a  more  serious  than  comic  termina- 
tion. . 

The  London  Chronicle  in  a  sneering  comment  on 
Boston  affairs  gave  Burgoyne  as  the  author  of  this  burlesque 
afterpiece,  though  perhaps  unjustly.  "General  Burgoyne 
has  opened  a  theatrical  campaign,  of  which  himself  is  sole 
manager,  being  determined  to  act  with  the  Provincials  on 
the  defensive  only.  Tom  Thumb  has  already  been  repre- 
sented; while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Provincials  are  pre- 
paring to  exhibit,  early  in  the  spring, 'Measure  for  Measure.'  " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  213. 

"There  Never  Existed  a  More  Miserable  Set  of  Beings !" 

Daily  preparations  were  now  made  by  the  enemy  for 
departure.  By  proclamation,  the  inhabitants  were  ordered 
to  deliver  up  all  linen  and  woollen  goods,  and  all  other  goods, 
that,  in  possession  of  the  rebels,  .would  aid  them  in  carrying 
on  the  war.  Crean  Bush,  a  New  York  Tory,  was  authorized 
to  take  possession  of  such  goods,  and  put  them  on  board  two 
of  the  transports.  Under  cover  of  his  commission,  he  and 
his  myrmidons  broke  open  stores,  and  stripped  them  of 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON        251 

their  contents.  Marauding  gangs  from  the  fleet  and  army 
followed  their  example,  and  extended  their  depredations 
to  private  houses.  On  the  i4th,  Howe,  in  a  general  order, 
declared  that  the  first  soldier  caught  plundering  should  be 
hanged  on  the  spot.  Still  on  the  i6th  houses  were  broken 
open,  goods  destroyed,  and  furniture  defaced  by  the  troops. 
Some  of  the  furniture,  it  is  true,  belonged  to  the  officers, 
and  it  was  destroyed  because  they  could  neither  sell  it  nor 
carry  it  away. 

For  some  days  the  embarkation  of  the  troops  was 
delayed  by  adverse  winds.  Washington,  who  was  imper- 
fectly informed  of  affairs  in  Boston,  feared  that  the  move- 
ments there  might  be  a  feint.  Determined  to  bring  things 
to  a  crisis,  he  detached  a  force  to  Nook's  Hill  on  Saturday 
the  1 6th, .  which  threw  up  a  breastwork  in  the  night  regard- 
less of  the  cannonading  of  the  enemy.  This  commanded 
Boston  Neck,  and  the  south  part  of  the  town,  and  a  deserter 
brought  a  false  report  to  the  British  that  a  general  assault 
was  intended. 

The  embarkation,  so  long  delayed,  began  with  a  hurry 
and  confusion  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  harbor 
of  Boston  soon  presented  a  striking  and  tumultuous  scene. 
There  were  seventy-eight  ships  and  transports  casting  loose 
for  sea,  and  eleven  or  twelve  thousand  men,  soldiers,  sailors, 
and  refugees,  hurrying  to  embark;  many  especially  of  the 
latter,  with  their  families  and  personal  effects.  The  refugees, 
in  fact,  labored  under  greater  disadvantages  than  the  king's 
troops,  being  obliged  to  man  their  own  vessels,  as  sufficient 
seamen  could  not  be  spared  from  the  king's  transports. 
Speaking  of  those  "who  had  taken  upon  themselves  the 
style  and  title  of  government  men"  in  Boston,  and  acted 
an  unfriendly  part  in  this  great  contest,  Washington  observes : 

"  By  all  accounts  there  never  existed  a  more  miserable 
set  of  beings  than  these  wretched  creatures  now  are.  Taught 
to  believe  that  the  power  of  Great  Britain  was  superior  to  all 
opposition,  and  that  foreign  aid,  if  not,  was  at  hand;  they 


1-18 


252  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

were  even  higher  and-  more  insulting  in  their  opposition 
than  the  Regulars.  When  the  order  issued,  therefore,  for 
embarking  the  troops  in  Boston,  no  electric  shock — no  sud- 
den clap  of  thunder — in  a  word,  the  last  trump  could  not 
have  struck  them  with  greater  consternation.  They  were 
at  their  wits'  end,  and  conscious  of  their  black  ingratitude, 
chose  to  commit  themselves,  in  the  manner  I  have  above 
described,  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves  at  a  tempestuous  season 
rather  than  meet  their  offended  countrymen.  " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  223. 

The  British  Sentry  Was  a  Dummy 

Napoleon  is  credited  with  the  remark  that .  English 
soldiers  never  know  when  they  are  whipped,  but  they  had 
not  lapsed  into  this  deplorable  degree  of  ignorance  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolution ;  for  when  General  Howe  and  Admiral 
Shuldham  saw  these  redoubts,  they  agreed  with  beautiful 
unanimity  that  the  town  was  untenable,  and  promptly  pre- 
pared to  depart.  Nobody  pressed  them  to  stay;  the 
Americans  did  not  fire  even  a  single  shot  to  distract  their 
attention,  and  the  British  returned  the  compliment  by  refrain- 
ing from  firing  a  single  house.  It  was  the  greatest  moving 
day  that  had  been  known  in  North  America  up  to  that 
date;  but  the  British  did  all  the  work  and  the  Americans 
looked  on,  which  is  unalloyed  bliss  to  one  who  has  no  mov- 
ing to  do.  Finally  an  American  sentinel  found  that  the 
British  sentry  in  front  of  him  was  a  dummy ;  within  a  few 
moments  the  American  flag  floated  over  Boston  for  the 
first  time. 

George  Washington.  John  Habberton,  p.  94. 

"  The  Face  of  Disorder  and  Confusion" 

At  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  the  troops  stationed 
"at  Cambridge  and  Roxbury  had  paraded,  and  several 
regiments  under  Putnam  had  embarked  in  boats,  and 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON       253 

dropped  down  Charles  River,  to  Sewell's  Point,  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  by  land  and  water.  About  nine 
o'clock  a  large  body  of  troops  were  seen  marching  down 
Bunker-' s  Hill,  while  boats  full  of  soldiers  were  putting  off 
for  the  shipping.  Two  scouts  were  sent  from  the  camp  to 
reconnoitre.  The  works  appeared  still  to  be  occupied,  for 
sentries  were  posted  about  them  with  shouldered  muskets. 
Observing  them  to  be  motionless,  the  scouts  made  nearer 
scrutiny,  and  discovered  them  to  be  mere  effigies,  set  up  to 
delay  the  advance  of  the  Americans.  Pushing  on,  they 
found  the  works  deserted,  and  gave  signal  of  the  fact; 
whereupon,  a  detachment  was  sent  from  the  camp  to  take 
possession. 

Part  of  Putnam's  troops  were  now  sent  back  to  Cam- 
bridge; a  part  were  ordered  forward  to  occupy  Boston. 
General  Ward,  too,  with  five  hundred  men,  made  his  way 
from  Roxbury,  across  the  Neck,  about  which  the  enemy 
had  scattered  caltrops  or  crow's  feet,  to  impede  invasion. 
The  gates  were  unbarred  and  thrown  open,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans entered  in  triumph,  with  drums  beating  and  colors 
flying. 

By  ten  o'clock  the  enemy  were  all  embarked  and  under 
way :  Putnam  had  taken  command  of  the  city,  and  occupied 
the  important  points,  and  the  flag  of  thirteen  stripes,  the 
standard  of  the  Union,  floated  above  all  the  forts. 

On  the  following  day,  Washington  himself  entered  the 
town,  where  he  was  joyfully  welcomed.  He  beheld  around 
him  sad  traces  of  the  devastation  caused  by  the  bombard- 
ment, though  not  to  the  extent  that  he  had  apprehended. 
There  were  evidences,  also,  of  the  haste  with  which  the  Brit- 
ish had  retreated — five  pieces  of  ordnance  with  their  trun- 
nions knocked  off,  others  hastily  spiked;  others  thrown 
off  the  wharf. 

"General  Howe's  retreat,"  writes  Washington,  "was 
precipitate  beyond  anything  I  could  have  conceived. 
The  destruction  of  the  stores  at  Dunbar's  camp,  after 


2S4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

• 

Braddock's  defeat,  was  but  a  faint  image  of  what  may  be 
seen  at  Boston;  artillery  carts  cut  to  pieces  in  one  place, 
gun  carriages  in  another;  shells  broke  here,  shots  buried 
there,  and  everything  carrying  with  it  the  face  of  disorder 
and  confusion  as  also  of  distress.  " 

We  close  this  eventful  chapter  of  Washington's  history, 
with  the  honor  decreed  to  him  by  the  highest  authority 
of  his  country.  On  motion  of  John  Adams,  who  had  first 
moved  his  nomination  as  commander-in-chief,  a  unanimous 
vote  of  thanks  to  him  was  passed  in  Congress;  and  it  was 
ordered  that  a  gold  medal  be  struck,  commemorating  the 
evacuation  of  Boston,  bearing  the  effigy  of  Washington  as  its 
deliverer. 

Lift  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  236. 

"It  Takes  the  Ragged  Boys  to  Do  the  Fighting" 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  immortal  as  the 
author  of  "The  Man  without  a  Country,"  related  in  con- 
versation, many  stories  of  Washington,  gathered  from  the 
accounts  of  eye-witnesses  who  were  old  people  in  Dr.  Hale's 
boyhood.  Here  is  one  given,  as  nearly  as  the  writer  can 
remember,  in  the  language  of  the  aged  minister-author. 

"An  old  parishioner  I  had  once  told  me  that  when 
Washington  entered  Boston  after  its  evacuation,  on  the 
1 7th  of  March,  1 776,  he  made  the  best  tavern  in  the  town  his 
headquarters.  This  was  at  the  head  of  King  street,  as 
State  street  was  then  called.  General  Howe  also  had  lived 
at  the  same  inn.  My  informant's  mother  was  the  inn- 
keeper's daughter,  a  little  girl  running  about  the  house, 
and  naturally  interested  in  all  that  was  going  on. 

"General  Washington,  who  was  exceedingly  fond  of 
children,  called  the  little  girl  to  him,  and  while  holding  her 
on  his  knee,  asked : 

1 '  Now  that  you  have  seen  the  soldiers  on  both  sides, 
which  do  you  like  best?' 

"The  little  girl  hesitated,  but,  like  the  great  Washington 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON       255 

himself,  could  not  tell  a  lie,  she  said,  with  childish  honesty, 

<('I  like  the  "red  coats"  best.' 

"The  American  general  laughed  at  her  frankness,  and 
said,  gently : 

'Yes,  my  dear,  the  red-coats  do  look  the  best,  but  it 
takes  the  ragged  boys  to  do  the  fighting.'  " 

(This  anecdote  has  been  authenticated.     W.  W.) 

"No  Man  Ever  Commanded  under  More  Difficult  Circumstances" 

(Letter  to  John  Augustine  Washington.} 

"Cambridge,  31  March,  1776. 
"Dear  Brother: 

.  .  .  "  The  want  of  arms  and  powder  is  not  peculiar 
to  Virginia.  This  country,  of  which  doubtless  you  have 
heard  large  and  flattering  accounts,  is  more  deficient  in 
both  than  you  can  conceive.  I  have  been  here  months 
together,  with  (what  will  be  scarcely  believed)  not  thirty 
rounds  of  musket  cartridges  to  a  man ;  and  have  been  obliged 
to  submit  to  all  the  insults  of  the  enemy's  cannon  for  want 
of  powder,  keeping  what  little  we  had  for  pistol  distance. 
Another  thing  has  been  done,  which,  added  to  the  above, 
will  put  it  in  the  power  of  this  army  to  say,  what  perhaps 
no  other  with  justice  ever  could  say.  We  have  maintained 
our  ground  against  the  enemy,  under  this  want  of  powder, 
and  we  have  disbanded  one  army,  and  recruited  another, 
within  musket  shot  of  two  and  twenty  regiments,  the  flower 
of  the  British  army,  whilst  our  force  has  been  but  little  if 
any  superior  to  theirs;  and,  at  last,  have  beaten  them  into 
a  shameful  and  precipitate  retreat  out  of  a  place  the  strong- 
est by  nature  on  this  continent,  and  strengthened  and 
fortified  at  an  enormous  expense.  .  ,. 

"  I  believe  I  may  with  great  truth  affirm,  that  no  man 
perhaps  since  the  first  institution  of  armies  ever  commanded 


256  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

one  tinder  more  difficult  circumstances  than  I  have  done. 
To  enumerate  the  particulars  would  fill  a  volume.  Many 
of  my  difficulties  and  distresses  were  of  so  peculiar  a  cast, 
that,  in  order  to  conceal  them  from  the  enemy,  I  was  obliged 
to  conceal  them  from  my  friends,  and  indeed  from  my  own 
army,  thereby  subjecting  my  conduct  to  interpretations 
unfavorable  to  my  character,  especially  by  those  at  a  dis- 
tance, who  could  not  in  the  smallest  degree  be  acquainted 
with  the  springs  that  governed  it.  I  am  happy,  however, 
to  find,  and  to.  hear  from  different  quarters,  that  my  reputa- 
tion stands  fair,  that  my  conduct  hitherto  has  given  universal 
satisfaction.  The.  addresses  which  I  have  received,  and  which 
I  suppose  will  be  published,  from  the  General  Coiirt  of 
this  colony,  and  from  the  selectmen  of  Boston  upon  the 
evacuation  of  the  town,  and  my  approaching  departure  from 
the  colony,  exhibit  a  pleasing  testimony  of  their  approba- 
tion of  my  conduct,  and  of  their  personal  regard,  which  I 
have  found  in  various  other  instances,  and  which,  in  retire- 
ment, will  afford  many  comfortable  reflections.  :-•.,.  . 

"  General  Charles  Lee,  I  suppose,  is  with  you  before  this. 
He  is  the  first  officer,  in  military  knowledge  and  experience, 
we  have  in  the  whole  army.  He  is  zealously  attached  to 
the  cause,  honest  and  well-meaning,  but  rather  fickle  and 
violent,  I  fear,  in  his  temper.  However,  as  he  possesses  an 
uncommon  share  of  good  sense  and  spirit,  I  congratulate 
my  countrymen  upon  his  appointment  to  that  department. 
As  I  am  now  nearly  at  the  end  of  my  eighth  page,  I  think 
it  time  to  conclude;  especially,  as  I  set  out  with  prefacing 
the  little  time  I  had  for  friendly  correspondences.  I  shall 
only  add,  therefore,  my  affectionate  regards  to  my  sister 
and  the  children,  and  compliments  to  friends;  and  that  I 
am,  with  every  sentiment  of  true  affection,  your. loving 
brother  and  faithful  friend," 

[G.  WASHINGTON]. 

Writings  of  Washington.  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans.  Ph.  D..  p.  52. 


DRIVING  THE  BRITISH  OUT  OF  BOSTON       257 


"Execrable  Parricides!" 

Washington  did  not  linger  over  his  victory.  Even 
while  the  British  fleet  still  hung  about  the  harbor  he  began 
to  send  troops  to  New  York  to  make  read}'-  for  the  next 
attack.  He  entered  Boston  in  order  to  see  that  every 
precaution  was  taken  against  the  spread  of  smallpox,  and 
then  prepared  to  depart  himself.  Two  ideas,  during  his 
first  winter  of  conflict,  had  taken  possession  of  his  mind, 
and  undoubtedly  influenced  profoundly  his  future  course. 
One  was  the  conviction  that  the  struggle  must  be  fought 
out  to  the  bitter  end,  and  must  bring  either  subjugation  or 
complete  independence.  He  wrote  in  February:  "With 
respect  to  myself,  I  have  never  entertained  an  idea  of  an 
accommodation,  since  I  heard  of  the  measures  which  were 
adopted  in  consequence  of  the  Bunker  Hill  fight";  and  at 
an  earlier  date  he  said :  "  I  hope  my  countrymen  (of  Virginia) 
will  rise  superior  to  any  losses  the  whole  navy  of  Great 
Britain  may  bring  on  them,  and  that  the  destruction  of 
Norfolk  and  threatened  devastation  of  other  places  will 
have  no  other  effect  than  to  unite  the  whole  country  in  one 
indissoluble  band  against  a  nation  which  seems  to  be  lost 
to  every  sense  of  virtue  and  those  feelings  which  distinguish 
a  civilized  people  from  the  most  barbarous  savages. ' '  With 
such  thoughts  he  sought  to  make  Congress  appreciate  the 
probable  long  duration  of  the  struggle,  and  he  bent  every 
energy  to  giving  permanency  to  his  army,  and  decisiveness 
to  each  campaign.  The  other  idea  which  had  grown  in  his 
mind  during  the  weary  -siege  was  that  the  Tories  were 
thoroughly  dangerous  and  deserved  scant  mercy.  In  his 
second  letter  to  Gage  he  refers  to  them,  with  the  frankness 
which  characterized  him  when  he  felt  strongly,  as  "  execrable 
pai  ricides, ' '  and  he  made  ready  to  treat  them  with  the 
utmost  severity  at  New  York  and  elsewhere.  When 
Washington  was  aroused  there  was  a  stern  and  relentless 
side  to  his  character,  in  keeping  with  the  force  and  strength 


258  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

which  were  his  chief  qualities.  His  attitude  on  this  point 
seems  harsh  now  when  the  old  Tories  no  longer  look  very 
dreadful.  But  they  were  dangerous  then,  and  Washington, 
with  his  honest  hatred  of  all  that  seemed  to  partake  of 
meanness  or  treason,  proposed  to  put  them  down  and  ren- 
der them  harmless,  being  well  convinced,  after  his  clear- 
sighted fashion,  that  war  was  not  peace,  and  that  mildness 
to  domestic  foes  was  sadly  misplaced. 

His  errand  to  New  England  was  now  done  and  well 
done.  His  victory  was  won,  everything  was  settled  at 
Boston;  and  so,  having  sent  his  army  forward,  he  started 
for  New  York,  to  meet  the  harder  trials  that  still  awaited 
him. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  152. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES  AND  THE   DECLARATION  OP 
INDEPENDENCE 

The  Commander-in-chief  Invited   to  Confer  with  Congress 

When  President  [of  Congress]  Hancock,  under  date  of 
May  1 6,  wrote  to  the  commander-in-chief  advising  him  of 
the  resolution  of  Congress  requesting  his  presence  in  Phila- 
delphia, he  added: 

"  I  request  the  favor  that  you  will  please  to  honor  me 
with  your  and  your  lady's  company  at  my  house,  where  I 
have  a  bed  at  your  service,  and  where  every  endeavor  on 
my  part  and  Mrs.  Hancock's  will  be  exerted  to  make  your 
abode  agreeable.  I  reside  in  an  airy,  open  part  of  the  city, 
in  Arch  street,  corner  of  Fourth  street.  " 

Washington,  however,  on  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia, 
received  a  note  from  Mr.  Hancock,  expressing  his  sorrow 
that  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  wait  on  him  in  person  on 
account  of  a  severe  fit  of  the  gout.  From  this  note  it  does 
not  appear  that  the  General  and  Mrs.  Washington  availed 
themselves  of  the  invitation. 

Itinerary  of  General  Washington  from  June  15,  1775,  to  December  23, 1783,  William 
S.  Baker,  p.  40. 

Going  to  Philadelphia 

Washington  left  New  York  on  May  21  and  arrived  at 
Philadelphia  on  the  23d,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
stopping  on  the  way  at  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  "to  view, "  as 
he  wrote  to  General  Schuyler,  "the  ground,  and  such 
places  on  Staten  Island  contiguous  to  it,  as  may  be  proper 
for  works  of  defense." 

Itincrarv  of  General  Washington  from  June  15,  1775,  to  December  23,  1783.     William 
S.  Baker,  p.  39. 

(259) 


26o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Consulting  with   Congress  on  the  Coming  Campaign 

Agreeable  to  order,  General  Washington  attended  in 
Congress,  and  after  some  conference  with  him, 

"Resolved,  that  he  be  directed  to  attend  again  to- 
morrow." 

Journal  of  Congress,  May,  24,  1776. 

Agreeable  to  order,  General  Washington  attended, 
and  after  some  conference  with  him, 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  confer 
with  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  Major-general 
Gates,  Brigadier-general  Mifflin,  and  to  concert  a  plan  of 
military  operations  for  the  ensuing  campaign." 

Journal  of  Congress,  May  25,  1776. 

Attended  by  Indians,  Washington  Reviews  the  Troops 

On  Monday  afternoon  (May  27)  General  Washington, 
the  members  of  Congress,  Gen.  Gates  and  Mifflin,  reviewed 
the  four  battalions,  the  rifle  battalion,  the  light  horse,  and 
three  artillery  companies  of  the  city  militia,  amounting  to 
near  2500  men,  when  they  went  through  their  manoeuvres 
to  general  satisfaction.  At  the  same  time  two  battalions 
of  the  Continental  troops  were  reviewed  by  the  General. 
The  Indians  who  are  come  to  town  on  business  with  the 
Congress,  attended  the  General  in  reviewing  the  militia. 

Pennsylvania  Gazette,  May  29,  1776. 

General  Washington  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes 

The  writer  is  indebted  to  the  grandsons  of  Betsy 
Ross,  Mr.  William  J.  Canby  and  Mr.  George  Canby,  for 
interesting  and  valuable  information  relative  to  the  mak- 
ing of  the  first  flag.  Congress  appointed  General  Wash- 
ington, Colonel  George  Ross  and  Robert  Morris  a  com- 
mittee "  authorized  to  design  a  suitable  flag  for  the  nation," 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        261 

and  they  called  upon  Mrs.  Ross,  who  was  conducting  art 
upholstery  business  on  Arch  Street,  below  Third,  in  Phila- 
delphia. Washington  had  frequently  called  upon  Mrs. 
Ross  before  his  appointment  as  commander-in -chief  of 
the  army,  and  knew  her  skill  with  the  needle,  having  em- 
ployed her  to  embroider  his  shirt  ruffles  and  do  needle-work 
of  other  kinds. 

Mrs.  Ross  was  shown  a  rough  drawing  of  the  flag, 
which  was  explained  by  General  Washington.  She  ob- 
jected to  the  six-pointed  stars  in  the  design,  and  suggested 
that  they  ought  to  have  but  five  points.  The  sketch  was 
redrawn  in  pencil  by  General  Washington,  the  stars  were 
changed  to  five-pointed,  and  other  minor  alterations  were 
made. 

The  fact  that  in  the  original  drawing  the  stars  were 
six-pointed  is  strong  evidence  that  they  were  not  derived 
from  the  Washington  arms,  for  those  on  his  escutcheon  were 
five-pointed,  but  one  ingenious  writer  quotes  Washington 
as  saying  that  "he  preferred  a  star  that  would  not  be  an 
exact  copy  of  those  on  his  coat  of  arms,  and  that  he  also 
thought  a  six-pointed  star  would  be  easier  to  make."  Mrs. 
Ross  demonstrated  the  ease  of  making  a  five-pointed  star, 
by  folding  a  piece  of  paper  and  producing  one  by  a  single 
clip  of  her  scissors. 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  and  Other  American  Flags,  Peleg  D.  Harrison,  p.  62. 

Ordering  the  Flag  Made 

So  they  needed  another  flag — a  real  liberty  flag.  In 
June,  1776,  only  a  few  weeks  before  the  great  Declara- 
tion, a  committee  of  three  persons,  General  Washington. 
Robert  Morris  (who  afterwards  became  the  money  man- 
ager of  the  Revolution)  and  Colonel  George  Ross,  called 
on  Mrs.  Ross,  the  widow  of  Colonel  Ross's  nephew,  to  have 
a  banner  made.  The  members  of  the  committee  had  evi- 
dently availed  themselves  of  the  advice  of  Dr.  Benjamin 
Franklin,  for  he  was  interested  in  flags  and  had  been  chair- 
man of  the  previous  flag  committee.  Washington  and  his 


262  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

friends  seemed  to  have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  what  they 
wanted. 

It  has  been  shown  how  the  idea  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
had  been  growing  up  among  all  the  queer  designs  that  had 
been  flung  to  the  breezes  during  those  years  of  turmoil  and 
trouble  with  the  Mother  Country.  The  thirteen  colonies 
had  often  been  represented,  on  sea  and  land,  by  thirteen 
stripes,  and  sometimes  by  thirteen  white  stars  in  a  blue 
sky  or  field.  These  stars  were  generally  five-pointed.  The 
committee  seems  to  have  agreed  upon  placing  the  thir- 
teen stars  in  a  circle,  in  a  blue  canton.  Washington,  in 
his  drawing,  had  made  the  stars  six-pointed,  it  is  said, 
because  he  wanted  to  make  the  stars  different  from  those 
in  his  own  coat-of-arms,  which  were  five-pointed!  It  is 
often  stated  that  Washington  secured  the  design  for  our 
flag  from  his  own  coat-of-arms.  No  doubt  Franklin  sug- 
gested this  also.  But  there  had  been  several  flags  made 
of  thirteen  stripes,  and  quite  a  number  of  star  standards 
appeared  about  this  time.  If  his  coat-of-arms  had  really 
resembled  the  flag,  that  would  have  been  the  very  reason 
why  Washington  would  not  have  allowed  it  to  be  copied. 
He  was  not  that  kind  of  a  man.  There  is  nothing  that  can 
be  quoted  from  what  Washington  ever  said  or  wrote,  of  all 
that  is  left  to  us,  that  even  hints  at  such  an  idea.  Indeed, 
much  that-  he  wrote  seems  rather  to  contradict  the  notion 
of  his  copying  his  coat-of-arms.  .... 

When  General  Washington  and  his  secret  or  self- 
appointed  committee  needed  some  one  to  make  up  the  flag 
they  had  planned,  they  naturally  went  to  the  bright  and 
skillful  young  "Widow  Ross,"  as  she  was  sometimes  called. 
Besides,  Betsy  was  a  niece,  by  marriage,  of  Colonel  Ross, 
one  of  the  so-called  committee.  Washington  laid  the  de- 
sign before  the  blooming  young  woman,  with  his  accus- 
tomed gallantry.  When  Mrs.  Ross  saw  the  six-pointed 
star  in  the  drawing,  she  took  a  piece  of  paper,  folded  it, 
made  one  snip  of  the  scissors,  unfolded  it  and  smilingly 
held  up  a  perfect  five-pointed  star. 


THE'  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        263 

The  men  were  delighted  with  her  deftness  and  skill, 
and  felt  that  the  bright  little  woman  was  just  the  right 
person  to  whom  to  entrust  the  making  of  the  wonderful 
new  flag.  They  told  her  what  they  desired — thirteen  red 
and  white  stripes,  with  the  red  at  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  flag,  which  would  make  seven  red  stripes  and  six  white. 
The  canton  to  be  a  blue  square,  extending  from  the  top 
down  over  the  seven  bars  and  stopping  at  the  eighth,  a  white 
stripe.  In  this  blue  field  was  a  circle  of  thirteen  white 
stars.  The  description  given  by  Congress  was  of  "a  con- 
stellation," or  a  group  of  stars.  The  story  is  told  that 
John  Adams  wished  to  have  the  stars  arranged  in  the  form 
of  the  star-group,  Lyra,  which  is  the  shape  of  a  lyre  or 
harp,  as  there  were  just  thirteen  stars  in  that  constella- 
tion. But  they  could  not  arrange  it  to  look  well,  so  they 
decided  on  the  circle  of  stars.  As  there  is  no  end  to  a 
circle,  they  hoped  that  the  new  nation  that  they  were 
trying  to  organize  would  also  be  without  end — that  it  would 
live  until  the  end  of  time. 

Thf  Story  of  the  American  Flag,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  44. 

Stars  and  Stripes  Not  from  Washington's  Coat-of-arms 

That  neither  the  stars  nor  stripes  were  derived  from 
the  Washington  coat-of-arms  is  shown  by  Washington 
himself,  in  a  grand  sentiment  on  our  national  flag,  which 
he  gave  in  these  words: 

"We  take  the  star  from  Heaven,  the  red  from  our 
mother  country,  separating  it  by  white  stripes,  thus  showing 
that  we  have  separated  from  her,  and  the  white  stripes 
shall  go  down  to  posterity  representing  liberty. " 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  suggestion  expressed  else- 
where, that  the  stripes  on  the  continental  Union  Flag,  the 
immediate  predecessor  of  our  national  emblem,  may  have 
been  formed  by  placing  six  white  stripes  across  the  red 
ensign  of  the  United  Kingdom,  accords  with  what  Wash- 
ington said. 


264  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Historian  Benson  J.  Lossing  would  never  believe  that 
the  Washington  arms  were  the  beginning  of  the  flag,  and 
so  expressed  himself  in  a  letter  to  Thomas  Gibbons.  He 
thought  the  stripes  may  have  been  suggested  by  the  flag 
of  the  English  East  India  Company,  with  which  the  colonists 
in  the  seaports  had  long  been  familiar. 

Thf  Stars  and  Stripes  ar.d  Other  American  Flags,  Peleg  D.  Harrison,  p.  58.  ( 

Drawing  up  and  Discussing  the  Declaration 

On  the  first  day  of  July,  1776,  with  Benjamin  Harrison 
in  the  chair,  the  resolution  was  brought  up  for  action.  The 
DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  had  been  drawn 
up  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  had  been  appointed  chairman 
of  the  committee.  He  was  a  very  young  man  at  this  time, 
a  delegate  from  Virginia,  not  very  much  of  a  speaker, 
though  his  pen  had  already  become  known  not  only  as 
that  of  a  "ready  writer"  but  of  an  able  writer  as  well. 
Jefferson  had  desired  John  Adams  to  draw  up  the  docu- 
ments; but  Adams,  as  far-sighted  as  he  had  been  when  he 
had  secured  the  appointment  of  Washington  as  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  army,  and  for  very  much  the  same 
reasons,  insisted  upon  his  young  colleague  doing  the  work. 
In  his  autobiography  John  Adams  gave  the  following 
reasons  for  declining  to  do  the  work,  and  for  his  insistence 
that  Jefferson  should  do  it : 

"  i.  That  he  was  a  Virginian  and  I  a  Massachusetten- 
sian.  2.  That  he  was  a  Southern  man  and  I  a  Northern 
one.  3.  That  I  had  been  so  obnoxious  for  my  early  and 
constant  zeal  in  promoting  the  measure,  that  every  draft  of 
mine  would  undergo  a  more  severe  scrutiny  and  criticism 
in  Congress  than  one  of  his  composition.  4.  And  lastly, 
and  that  would  be  reason  enough  if  there  were  no  other, 
I  had  a  great  opinion  of  the  elegance  of  his  pen  and  none  at 
all  of  my  own.  I  therefore  insisted  that  no  hesitation 
should  be  made  on  his  part.  He  accordingly  took  the 
minutes,  and  in  a  day  or  two  produced  me  his  draft. " 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE       265 

Richard  Henry  Lee,  [who  had  made  the  motion  for  the 
Declaration]  was  absent  on  that  first  day  ,of  July, 
owing  to  the  illness  in  his  family,  and  John  Adams  was  called 
upon  to  defend  the  resolution  he  had  seconded.  Perhaps  he 
was  not  the  fiery,  magnetic  speaker  that  Lee  was,  but  he  was 
a  man  of  greater  intellect,  and  his  speech  was  a  powerful  one. 
Doubtless  many  of  those  who  are  reading  this  page  have  de- 
claimed in  their  school  days  portions  of  that  speech,  or  sup- 
posed portions,  before  admiring  audiences,  and  have  declared 
that  "  sink  or  swim,  survive  or  perish,  "  they  were  iinhesitat- 
ingly  in  favor  of  independence.  Samuel  Adams  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Dr.  Witherspoon  of  New  Jersey,  Edward  Rutledge 
of  South  Carolina,  and  others  also  spoke  warmly  in  its  favor. 

The  resolution  was  opposed  by  some,  for  what  measure 
ever  yet  existed  to  which  all  men  agreed?  The  strongest 
speech  in  opposition  was  made  by  John  Dickinson,  who 
brought  forward  points  that  in  one  form  or  another  have  been 
urged  against  every  new  movement  since  the  world  began. 

"The  country  would  not  be  any  stronger,  proposed 
alliances  with  France,  Spain,  or  other  foreign  nations  were 
all  uncertain.  There  would  be  no  hope  of  future  favors 
from  Great  Britain.  The  colonies  themselves  had  no 
settled  government,  and  first  all  these  details  should  be 
arranged,  and  then  America  might  take  her  place  among 
the  nations  of  the  world" — all  of  which  was  not  without 
weight,  but  after  all  was  very  much  like  the  consent  of  the 
anxious  mother  for  her  boy  to  enter  the  water  after  he  had 
learned  to  swim;  or  telling  a  young  teacher  or  physician 
that  he  will  be  employed  after  he  shall  have  had  some 
experience.  Learning  comes  by  experience,  and  centuries 
ago  a  writer  declared  that  all  such  reasons  as  those  advanced 
by  John  Dickinson  against  any  movement  which  of  itself 
was  right,  would  usually  prevent  the  measure  itself  from 
being  entered  upon.  "  He  that  observeth  the  wind  shall 
not  sow;  and  he  that  regardeth  the  clouds  shall  not  reap." 

The  resolution  declaring  the  colonies  to  be  free  and 


266  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

independent  was  unanimously  adopted  on  the  second  day 
of  July,  1776.  Nine  colonies  the  preceding  day  had  voted 
in  favor  of  it.  New  York  was  silent  because 
her  delegate  had  not  been  instructed.  Pennsylvania  voted 
nay,  and  so  did  South  Carolina.  Delaware  also  was  counted 
in  the  negative,  although  one  of  her  delegates  cast  his  vote 
in  favor  of  adopting  the  resolution.  The  final  vote  was 
unanimous,  at  least  as  far  as  twelve  colonies  were  concerned, 
for  the  -New  York  delegates,  though  not  opposed  to  it,  did 
not  feel  that  they  ought  to  vote  for  it. 

The  form  drawn  up  by  Jefferson  was  modified  and 
slightly  changed,  and  after  a  full  discussion,  was  adopted, 
July  4th,  1776. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  89. 

[Washington  returned  to  New  York,  June  6,  1776.] 

A  Badly  Armed,  Undisciplined,  Disorderly  Rabble 

The  patriot  military  forces  of  New  York,  when  General 
Howe  first  arrived,  were  only  about  ten  thousand.  His 
delay  of  nearly  two  months  allowed  them  the  opportunity 
to  increase  this  number.  Enthusiasm  and  rumors  soon 
had  their  numbers  up  to  forty-five  thousand  or  fifty  thou- 
sand. It  had  seemed  to  both  the  patriots  and  their  Con- 
gress that  before  long  they  must  surely  have  that  number. 
Many  expected  more.  But  by  the  actual  returns  made  by 
Washington,  his  forces,  all  told,  were  only  20,275.  Of  these 
the  sick  were  so  numerous  that  those  fit  for  duty  were  only 
about  fourteen  thousand.  The  large  sick-list  was  appar- 
ently the  result  of  shockingly  unsanitary  conditions,  which 
for  long  afterwards  were  characteristic  of  the  patriot  camps ; 
and  in  winter  they  were  always  afflicted  with  the  smallpox. 
Besides  disease  which  was  so  prevalent  among  them,  they 
were  a  most  badly  armed,  undisciplined,  disorderly  rabble, 
marauding  on  the  inhabitants  and  committing  all  kinds  of 
irregularities.  Except  a  few  troops,  like  Smallwood's 
Marylanders,  they  were  for  the  most  part  merely  a  collection 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE       267 

of  squads  of  farmers  and  militia  bringing  with  them  the 
guns  they  had  in  their  houses. 

The  Tri4e  Story  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  309. 

Conspiracy  to  Kill  or  Kidnap  Washington 

The  great  aim  of  the  British,  at  present,  was  to  get 
possession  of  New  York  and  the  Hudson,  and  make  them 
the  basis  of  military  operations.  This  they  hoped  to  effect 
on  the  arrival  of  a  powerful  armament,  hourly  expected, 
and  designed  for  operations  on  the  seaboard.  ". 

At  this  critical  juncture  there  was  an  alarm  of  a  con- 
spiracy among  the  Tories  in  the  city  and  on  Long  Island, 
suddenly  to  take  up  arms  and  co-operate  with  the  British 
troops  on  their  arrival.  The  wildest  reports  were  in  circula- 
tion concerning  it.  Some  of  the  Tories  were  to  break 
down  the  King's  Bridge,  others  were  to  blow  up  the  maga- 
zines, spike  the  guns,  and  massacre  all  the  field-officers. 
Washington  was  to  be  killed  or  delivered  up  to  the  enemy. 
Some  of  his  own  body-guard  were  said  to  be  in  the  plot. 

Corbie's  tavern,  near  Washington's  quarters,  was  a 
kind  of  rendezvous  of  the  conspirators.  There  one  Gilbert 
Forbes,  a  gunsmith,  "a  short,  thick  man,  with  a  white 
coat,"  enlisted  men,  gave  them  money,  and  "swore  them 
on  the  book  to  secrecy.  "  From  this  house  a  correspondence 
was  kept  up  with  Governor  Tryon  on  shipboard  through 
a  "mulatto-colored  negro,  dressed  in  blue  clothes."  At 
this  tavern  it  was  supposed  Washington's  body-guards 
were  tampered  with.  Thomas  Hickey,  one  of  the  guards, 
a  dark-complexioned  man,  five  feet  six  inches  high,  and 
well  set,  was  said  not  only  to  be  enlisted,  biit  to  have  aided 
in  corrupting  his  comrades;  among  others,  Greene  the 
drummer,  and  Johnson  the  fifer. 

It  was  further  testified  before  the  committee,  that  one 
Sergeant  Graham,  an  old  soldier,  formerly  of  the  royal 
artillery,  had  been  employed  by  Governor  Tryon  to  prowl 
round  and  survey  the  grounds  and  works  about  the  city, 

1-19 


268  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  on  Long  Island,  and  that,  on  information  thus  pro- 
cured, a  plan  of  operations  had  been  concerted.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  fleet,  a  man-of-war  should  cannonade  the 
battery  at  Red  Hook;  while  that  was  doing,  a  detachment 
of  the  army  should  land  below  with  cannon,  and  by  a  cir- 
cuitous march  surprise  and  storm  the  works  on  Long  Island. 
The  shipping  then,  with  the  remainder  of  the  army,  were 
to  divide,  one  part  to  run  up  the  Hudson,  the  other  up  the 
East  River;  troops  were  to  land  above  New  York,  secure 
the  pass  at  King's  Bridge,  and  cut  off  all  communications 
between  city  and  country. 

Much  of  the  evidence  given  was  of  a  dubious  kind. 
It  was  certain  that  persons  had  been  secretly  enlisted,  and 
sworn  to  hostile  operations,  but  Washington  did  not  think 
that  any  regular  plan  had  been  digested  by  the  conspirators. 

"The  matter,"  writes  he,  "I  am  in  hopes,  by  a  timely 
discovery,  will  be  suppressed." 

According  to  the  mayor's  own  admission  before  the 
committee,  he  had  been  cognizant  of  attempts  to  enlist 
Tories  and  corrupt  Washington's  guards,  though  he  declared 
that  he  had  discountenanced  them.  He  had,  on  one  occa- 
sion, also,  at  the  request  of  Governor  Tryon,  paid  money 
for  him  to  Gilbert  Forbes,  the  gunsmith,  for  rifles  and 
round-bored  guns  which  he  had  already  furnished,  and  for 
others  he  was  to  make.  He  had  done  so,  however  (accord- 
ing to  his  account),  with  great  reluctance,  and  after  much 
hesitation  and  delay,  warning  the  gunsmith  that  he  would 
be  hanged  if  found  out.  The  mayor,  with  a  number  of 
others,  was  detained  in  prison  to  await  a  trial. 

Thomas  Hickey,  the  individual  of  Washington's  guard, 
was  tried  before  a  court-martial.  He  was  an  Irishman 
and  had  been  a  deserter  from  the  British  army.  The  court- 
martial  found  him  guilty  of  mutiny  and  sedition,  and 
treacherous  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  and  sentenced 
him  to  be  hanged. 

The  sentence  was  approved  by  Washington,  and  was  car- 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        269 

ried  promptly  into  effect,  in  the  most  solemn  and  impres- 
sive manner,  to  serve  as  a  warning  and  an  example  in  this 
time  of  treachery  and  danger.  On  the  morning  of  June 
28th,  all  the  officers  and  men  off  duty,  belonging  to  the 
brigades  of  Heath,  Spencer,  Stirling  and  Scott,  assembled 
under  arms  at  their  respective  parades  at  10  o'clock,  and 
marched  thence  to  the  grounds.  Twenty  men  from  each 
brigade,  with  bayonets  fixed,  guarded  the  prisoner  to  the 
place  of  execution,  which  was  a  field  near  the  Bowery  Lane. 
There  he  was  hanged  in  the  presence,  we  are  told,  of  near 
twenty  thousand  persons. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  289. 

"A  Most  Barbarous  and  Infernal  Plot" 

"Since  Friday  last,  a  most  barbarous  and  infernal  plot 
has  been  discovered  among  the  Tories  in  New  York.  Two 
of  General  Washington's  guards  are  concerned;  a  third 
whom  they  tempted  to  join  them  made  the  first  discovery. 
The  general  report  of  their  design  is  as  follows:  Upon  the 
arrival  of  the  British  troops,  they  were  to  murder  all  the 
staff-officers,  blow  up  the  magazines,  and  secure  all  the 
passes  of  the  town.  Gilbert  Forbes,  a  gunsmith  in  the 
Broadway,  was  taken  between  two  and  three  o'clock  on 
Saturday  morning  and  carried  before  our  Congress  who 
were  then  sitting.  He  refused  to  make  any  discovery, 
upon  which  he  was  sent  to  jail.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Living- 
ston went  to  see  him  early  in  the  morning,  and  told  him  he 
was  very  sorry  to  find  he  had  been  concerned,  that  his 
time  was  very  short,  not  having  above  three  days  to  live, 
and  advised  him  to  prepare  himself.  This  had  the  desired 
effect;  and  he  requested  to  be  carried  before  Congress 
again,  promising  to  discover  all  he  knew.  Several  have 
since  been  taken,  between  twenty  and  thirty,  among  them 
the  mayor.  They  are  all  now  in  confinement.  Their  party, 
it  is  said,  consisted  of  about  five  hundred." 

[Two  other  extracts  from  newspapers  of  the  time  will 


270  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

explain  the  methods  employed  by  the  angry  soldiers  to 
protect  their  leader  and  bring  the  leaders  to  justice.] 

"  Yesterday  (23)  the  mayor  was  examined  twice,  and 
returned  prisoner  under  a  strong  guard.  We  have  now 
thirty-four  prisoners,  and  many  more,  it  is  expected,  will 
be  taken  up.  A  party  of  our  men  went  over  to  Long 
Island  on  Saturday  last  to  take  up  some  of  the  Tories; 
they  returned  yesterday,  and  brought  to  town  one  Downing, 
who  is  charged  with  being  in  the  hellish  plot.  They  took 
six  more  prisoners  and  put  them  in  Jamaica  jail,  on  Long 
Island.  The  Tories  made  some  resistance,  and  fired  on 
our  men  in  the  woods;  our  men  then  returned  the  fire, 
wounding  one  man  mortally;  they  then  called  for  quarter." 

"This  forenoon  (June  28)  was  executed  in  a  field  between 
the  Colonels  M'Dougall  and  Huntington's  camp,  near  the 
Bowery-Lane,  New  York,  in  the  presence  of  near  twenty 
thousand  spectators,  a  soldier  belonging  to  his  Excellency 
General  Washington's  guards,  for  mutiny  and  conspiracy; 
being  one  of  these  who  formed,  and  was  soon  to  have  put 
in  execution,  that  horrid  plot  of  assassinating  the  staff- 
officers,  blowing  up  the  magazines,  and  securing  the  passes 
of  the  town  on  the  arrival  of  the  hungry  ministerial  myr- 
midons. During  the  execution,  Kip,  the  moon-curser, 
suddenly  sank  down  and  expired  instantly." 

Pennsylvania  Journal,  (newspaper)  accounts. 

In  a  Board  of  Treasury,  Flying  Camp,  and  Barn  Hospital 

Having  received  a  plain  education  and  left  a  good 
home,  I  determined  to  try  my  fortune  in  a  strange  place 
and  support  myself,  independent  of  friends,  whom  I  was  to 
leave,  and  who  were  as  opulent  as  the  farmers  of  that  day 
generally  were.  I  soon  discovered,  after  taking  my  station 
in  office,  on  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  that 
there  was  little  difficulty  in  the  way  of  success.  Soon  after 
this  appointment  I  was,  with  the  other  clerks  in  the  dif- 
ferent offices,  appointed  a  signer  of  Continental  money  in 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        271 

order  to  help  our  salaries;  this  was  of  great  service.  We 
continued  to  sign  the  bills  until  a  hundred  dollar  note  would 
scarcely  give  a  hearty  man  a  dinner;  but  the  signing 
answered  the  purpose  for  the  time  being  and  I  was  thankful. 

I  continued  with  the  Board  of  Treasury,  then  occupy- 
ing a  house  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Arch  streets, 
Philadelphia,  very  differently  organized  from  what  it  is 
now  at  the  city  of  Washington. 

Previous  to  my  settlement  in  this  city,  or  thought  of 
doing  so,  to  wit,  in  the  spring  of  1776,  Congress  resolved, 
at  the  request  of  General  Washington,  to  raise,  for  the  short 
time  of  six  months,  an  auxiliary  force  to  be  denominated 
a  Flying  Camp,  to  be  dressed  in  hunting  shirts,  which  was 
soon  accomplished,  composed  mostly  of  young  men.  A 
near  relative  of  mine  obtained  a  commission  of  lieutenant; 
he  being  at  that  time  a  stripling  of  a  boy,  but  full  of  zeal, 
he  prevailed  on  his  brother  and  myself  to  enlist  in  his 
company,  promising  me  the  appointment  of  sergeant. 
Elated  with  the  idea  of  being  a  soldier  I  at  once  signed  the 
articles  and  prepared  to  join  the  company  at  their  rendez- 
vous at  Chester  Town.  The  regiment,  commanded  by 
Colonel  William  Richardson,  was  soon  completed,  and 
was  ready  to  march  by  the  first  of  July,  and  were  ordered 
to  Fort  Washington  in  the  North  [Hudson]  River,  twelve 
miles  above  the  city  of  New  York. 

It  so  happened  that  we  reached  that  city  on  the  Fourth 
of  July,  being  the  anniversary  of  my  own  birth,  as  well  as 
the  day  Congress,  then  in  session,  declared  the  United 
States  free  and  independent — a  glorious  day  long  to  be 
remembered.  Before  ten  days  had  expired  (from  taking 
up  the  line  of  march),  we  were  safely  encamped  at  Fort 
Washington,  our  place  of  destination,  a  short  time  before 
the  British  fleet,  commanded  by  Admiral  Lord  Howe,  and 
the  army,  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  appeared  off  Sandy  Hook, 
and  took  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York.  .  .  .  Fort 
Washington  [was]  on  Manhattan  and  Fort  Lee,  on  the 


572  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Jersey  shore,   directly  opposite.     Fort   Washington  had  a 
garrison    of   one    thousand    men    commanded    by    Colonel 

McDougall 

The  soldiers  belonging  to  the  regiment  to  which  I 
belonged,  being  thinly  clad  in  hunting-  shirts,  became  very 
sickly  as  the  fall  approached.  As  I  was  well  and  active, 
I  was  ordered  over  to  Hackensack,  in  Jersey,  in  charge  of 
all  the  invalids  belonging  to  the  regiment,  and  succeeded 
in  securing  good  quarters  in  a  large  barn,  belonging  to  a 
farmer  close  by;  I  took  quarters  myself  in  the  family 
owning  said  farm,  who  treated  me  with  great  kindness 
during  my  sojourn.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  bury  the  most 
of  my  companions  far  from  their  own  home,  yet  [I  was]  not 
dismayed.  Before  the  army  retired  into  winter  quarters, 
and  the  Flying  Camp  discharged,  myself  and  those  who 
survived  (our  time  being  about  to  expire)  wended  our  way 
back  to  our  native  homes  much  fatigued  and  discouraged. 

Reminiscences,  in  manuscript,  of  Cornelius  Comegys,  through  courtesy  of  his  great- 
grandson,  G.  Albert  Smyth. 

How  the  Declaration  Was  Received  in  New  York 

Washington  hailed  the  Declaration  with  joy.  It  is 
true,  it  was  but  a  formal  recognition  of  a  state  of  things 
which  had  long  existed,  but  it  put  an  end  to  all  those  tem- 
porizing hopes  of  reconciliation  which  had  clogged  the 
military  action  of  the  country. 

On  the  Qth  of  July,  he  caused  it  to  be  read  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  at  the  head  of  each  brigade  of  the  army. 
"The  general  hopes,"  said  he  in  his  orders,  "that  this  im- 
portant event  will  serve  as  a  fresh  incentive  to  every  officer 
and  soldier,  to  act  with  fidelity  and  courage,  as  knowing 
that  now  the  peace  and  safety  of  his  country  depend,  under 
God,  solely  on  the  success  of  our  arms ;  and  that  he  is  now 
in  the  sendee  of  a  state,  possessed  of  sufficient  power  to 
reward  his  merit/  and  advance  him  to  the  highest  honors 
of  a  free  country." 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        273 

The  excitable  populace  of  New  York  were  not  content 
with  the  ringing  of  bells  to  proclaim  their  joy.  There 
was  a  leaden  statue  of  George  III  in  the  Bowling  Green, 
in  front  of  the  fort.  Since  kingly  rule  is  at  an  end,  why 
retain  its  effigy?  On  the  same  evening,  therefore,  the 
statue  was  pulled  down  amid  the  shouts  of  the  multitude, 
and  broken  up  to  be  run  into  bullets  "  to  be  used  in  the  cause 
of  independence." 

Some  of  the  soldiery  having  been  implicated  in  this 
popular  effervescence,  Washington  censured  it  in  general 
orders,  as  having  much  the  appearance  of  a  riot  and  a  want 
of  discipline,  and  the  army  was  forbidden  to  indulge  in  any 
irregularities  of  the  kind.  It  was  his  constant  effort  to 
inspire  his  countrymen  in  arms  "with  his  own  elevated 
ideas  of  the  cause  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and  to  make 
them  feel  that  it  was  no  ordinary  warfare,  admitting  of 
vulgar  passions  and  perturbations.  "The  general  hopes 
and  trusts,"  said  he,  "that  every  officer  and  man  will 
endeavor  so  to  live  and  act  as  becomes  a  Christian  soldier, 
defending  the  dearest  rights  and  liberties  of  his  country." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.'  II,  p.  303. 

Statue  of  George  III  Melted  into  Bullets 

The  New  Yorkers,  now  that  they  knew  something 
definite  about  their  political  status,  made  themselves 
entirely  equal  to  the  situation  by  such  means  as  are  usually 
employed  by  civilians  on  patriotic  occasions;  that  is, 
they  hurrahed,  rang  bells,  and  built  bonfires.  .  .  . 

But  neither  the  resolution,  the  Declaration,  the  general 
order,  nor  the  enthusiasm  secured  Washington  the  re-en- 
forcements that  he  so  greatly  needed.  The  wrorks  in  and 
opposite  the  city  and  at  Fort  Washington,  on  the  upper 
end  of  Manhattan  Island,  did  not  prevent  two  warships 
from  sailing  up  the  Hudson,  frightening  the  city  nearly 
into  hysterics  as  they  passed,  and  making  themselves  at 
home  in  that  wide  portion  of  the  river  known  as  Haverstraw 


274  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Bay.  This  naval  venture,  however,  had  the  good  effects 
of  stimulating  activity  on  all  the  defenses  along  the  Hudson 
and  causing  Washington  to  send  George  Clinton,  a  militia 
brigadier  of  great  ability,  to  discipline  the  Tories  up  the 
river. 

About  this  time  the  occupation  of  -being  a  Tory  was 
almost  as  uncomfortable  as  that  of  being  commander-in- 
chief;  but  this  fact  did  not  cause  Washington  to  comport 
himself  sympathetically  towards  the  king's  friends.  The 
Tories  meant  well,  at  the  start;  their  only  fault  was,  that 
they  were  so  loyal  to  the  king  that  their  hearts  were  too 
much  for  their  heads.  Had  they  remained  neutral  in  word 
and  act,  they  would  have  had  no  trouble;  but  as  talk, 
all  theories  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  is  the  ruling 
passion  of  humanity,  their  tongues  wagged  incessantly, 
and,  being  compelled  to  play  a  double  part  in  order  to  show 
their  loyalty  to  one  side  and  save  their  property  from  the 
other,  they  rapidly  developed  into  the  most  accomplished 
and  exasperating  liars  that  the  country  had  yet  known. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  102. 

"The  Times  That  Try  Men's  Souls" 

Franklin's  faith  all  through  "the  times  that  try  men's 
souls"  (as  Thomas  Paine  wrote  concerning  this  very  crisis) 
was  ever  cheerful.  During  those  days  of  poverty  and 
disaster  he  never  lost  hope.  When  he  heard  bad  news 
he  exclaimed:  "It  will  come  all  right  in  the  end."  He 
proved  his  sincerity  by  putting  $i  5,000  (the  amount  awarded 
him  by  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly  )  into  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty— devoting  the  people's  gift  to  their  country's  good. 

When  it  was  too  late  the  English  ministers  began  to 
see  that  they  had  blundered.  Soon  after  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  Lord  Howe  wrote  to  Franklin  advising 
a  conference  which  should  bring  about  a  reconciliation  be- 
tween Mother  England  and  her  daughter  in  America. 
Franklin  wrote  back: 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE        275 

"Long  did  I  endeavor,  with  unfeigned  and  unwearied 
zeal,  to  preserve  from  breaking  that  fine  and  noble  China 
vase,  the  British  Empire ;  for  I  knew  that,  once  broken,  the 
separate  parts  could  not  retain  even  their  share  of  the 
strength  or  value  that  existed  in  the  whole,  and  that  a 
perfect  reunion  of  their  parts  could  scarce  ever  be  hoped 
for." 

At  a  conference  which  took  place  between  Lord  Howe, 
representing  England,  and  Franklin,  John  Adams  and  Ed- 
ward Rutledge,  for  the  colonies,  Lord  Howe  expressed  a 
deep  fraternal  feeling  for  them  saying,  "  If  America  should 
fail,  I  should  feel  and  lament  it  like  the  loss  of  a  brother." 

Franklin  bowed  and  calmly  said:  "We  will  do  our  ut- 
most endeavor  to  spare  your  lordship  that  mortification." 

The  Franklin  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  November  13  to  26,  1910. 

"Unpack  His  Heart  with  Words  ?" 

In  the  summer  of  1776,  at  New  York,  when  he  was 
at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  the  following 
appeared  among  the  General  Orders  of  August  3d: 

"The  General  is  sorry  to  be  informed,  that  the  foolish 
and  wicked  practice  of  profane  cursing  and  swearing,  a 
vice  heretofore  little  known  in  an  American  army,  is  growing 
into  fashion;  he  hopes  the  officers  will,  by  example  as 
well  as  influence,  endeavor  to  check  it,  and  that  both 
they  and  the  men  will  reflect,  that  we  can  have  little  hope 
of  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  our  arms,  if  we  insult  it  by  our 
impiety  and  folly;  added  to  this,  it  is  a  vice  so  mean  and  low, 
without  any  temptation,  that  every  man  of  sense  and  char- 
acter detests  and  despises  it." 

Is  it  probable,  nay,  is  it  possible,  that  the  author  of 
these  orders  ever  lost  or  forgot  the  character  and  principles 
of  his  youth  and  manhood  from  which  they  came,  so  that 
in  later  years  he  became  accustomed  to 

"unpack  his  heart  with  words, 
Arid  fall  a-cursing,  like  a  very  drab," 


276  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

or  emphasize  the  utterances  of  excited  passion  with  habitual 
profanity?     I  think  not! 

Libels  on  Washington,  Geo.  H.  Moore,  p.  6. 

"George  Washington,  Esq.,  etc.,  etc." 

"We  expect  a  bloody  summer  in  New  York  and  Can- 
ada," wrote  General  Washington  to  his  brother,  after  his 
return  to  New  York.  .  .  . 

British  men  -  of  -  war  began  to  arrive  in  New  York 
Harbor  and  to  land  soldiers  by  thousands  on  Stat'en  Island. 
General  Howe  and  his  brother,  Lprd  Howe,  on  their  arrival, 
found  Washington  in  possession  of  New  York  and  two 
small  forts,  named  for  the  two  generals,  Washington  and 
Lee,  were  built  above  the  city  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
Hudson,  to  prevent  the  British  fleet  from  ascending  that 
wide  stream.  But  Washington's  ever  vanishing  forces 
were  inadequate  to  guard  and  hold  New  York  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  separated  as  it  was  by  great  rivers. 
Lord  Howe  had  come  with  full  pardoning  powers  from  King 
George.  He  tried  to  open  communication  with  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  colonial  army,  sending  a  messenger 
with  a  letter  addressed  to  "Mr."  Washington.  This 
General  Washington's  secretary  refused  to  receive.  Then 
an  officer  arrived  at  Washington's  headquarters  with  a 
communication  for  "George  Washington,  Esq.,  etc.-,  etc." 
Though  the  officer  was  received  with  careful  courtesy  this 
letter  also  was  declined. 

"  But  the  '  etc.,  etc., '  implies  everything,  "  protested  the 
bearer  of  it. 

"It  may  also  mean  anything!"  said  Washington, 
laughing. 

Then  he  added  that  the  "pardoning  power"  of  Lord 
Howe  would  be  of  no  avail,  for  there  was  nothing  to  pardon, 
and,  in  fact,  no  pardon  had  been  asked. 

Of  course,  the  form  of  address  on  a  letter  was  a  trifling 
thing — but  Washington  comprehended  that  he  represented 


THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE       277 

the  rising  young  republic,  and  England  must  be  made  to 
realize  this.  Lord  Howe,  at  least,  recognized  Washington's 
character  and  the  justice  of  his  claim  to  courteous  treatment, 
which  Gage  had  been  incapable  of  seeing,  for  he  wrote  back 
to  England  that  they  might  as  well  give  "General"  Wash- 
ington his  proper  title.  But  nothing  came  of  the  Howes' 
attempted  negotiations  to  end  the  war. 

Washington's  army  was  now  drawn  from  a  wider 
range  of  territory  than  that  of  New  England  and  the  South. 
Of  the  difficulties  besetting  the  young  commander,  John 
Adams  once  said: 

"  It  requires  more  serenity  of  temper,  a  deeper  under- 
standing, and  more  courage  than  fell  to  the  lot  of  Marl- 
borough,  to -ride  in  this  whirlwind." 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  September  4  to  10,  1910. 


CHAPTER  XV 

DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS 

General  Howe  Turns  the  Tables 

Howe  and  his  brother  were  experienced  military  com- 
manders. They  had  the  aid  of  Clinton  and  Cornwallis,  both 
of  whom  were  good  generals,  and  over  thirty  thousand  well 
armed  soldiers — men  who  fought  for  a  living — while  Wash- 
ington had  less  than  eighteen  thousand,  most  o(  whom  knew 
nothing  of  war,  while  many  had  no  muskets  to  fight  with. 
On  the  other  hand,  Washington  had  the  advantage  of  posi- 
tion. He  not  only  held  the  city  and  the  forts  on  the  Hudson, 
but  he  had  possession  of  Brooklyn  Heights  on  Long  Island 
directly  opposite  the  city  on  the  south.  General  Howe, 
with  his  army,  was  on  Staten  Island.  He  saw  that  if  he 
could  take  Brooklyn  Heights,  and  plant  his  cannon  there,  he 
could  drive  Washington. out  of  New  York,  just  as  Washing- 
ton, by  seizing  Dorchester  Heights,  had  driven  him  out  of 
Boston. 

General  Putnam  was  in  command  of  the  Heights  with  a 
force  of  nine  thousand  men.  Believing  that  the  British 
meant  to  attack  him,  he  sent  about  half  his  force  to  meet  the 
enemy.  The  British,  twenty  thousand  strong,  or  nearly 
five  to  one  of  the  Americans,  came  across  from  Staten  Island 
and  landing  on  the  southwestern  shore  of  Long  Island  began 
their  march  toward  the  Heights.  They  soon  met  and  de- 
feated the  little  army  sent  against  them,  in  what  was  called 
the  battle  of  Long  Island  (August  27,  1776).  They  then 
got  ready  to  besiege  Putnam. 

Putnam  with  his  whole  army  would  certainly  have  been 
captured  if  it  had  not  been  for  Washington's  energy  and 
skill.  During  the  night  a  dense  fog  came  up.  Washington 

(278) 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  279 

took  advantage  of  it  and  succeeded  in  getting  all  the  men 
across  the  river  in  boats  to  New  York,  In  the  morning, 
when  the  British  commander  stretched  out  his  hand  to  take 
the  "nest  of  rebels, "  as  he  called  it,  he  got  the  nest  indeed, 
but  it  was  empty — the  birds  had  flown. 

The  Leading  Facts  of  American  History,  D.  H.  Montgomery,  p.  170. 

The  Masterly  Retreat  from  Long  Island 

The  next  day  brought  the  heavy  rain  with  which  a 
merciful  Providence  almost  invariably  blesses  the  wounded 
and  weary  after  a  great  battle.  There  was  some  skirmish- 
ing and  cannonading,  and  an  appearance  of  intention  to 
carry  the  works  by  regular  approach.  A  heavy  fog  envel- 
oped everything  on  the  28th,  but  when  it  lifted  for  a  mo- 
ment there  were  business  indications  about  the  fleet  off 
Staten  Island.  As  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  ships 
doing  in  East  River  as  the  enemy  had  done  between  the 
two  lines  two  days  before,  a  council  of  war  determined  to 
evacuate  the  Long  Island  lines.  In  spite  of  the  fog,  all 
water  craft  on  both  rivers  were  brought  around  to  the 
Brooklyn  ferry  landing  by  dark.  .  .  On  their  arrival, 
they  were  manned  by  the  Marblehead  fishermen  and 
sailors  who  composed  an  entire  Massachusetts  regiment, 
while  Washington,  who,  like  all  -other  sensible  men,  had 
learned  that  the  only  way  to  have  a  thing  done  to  suit  him 
was  to  do  it  himself,  superintended  .  the  embarkation. 
General  Mifflin,  with  eight  hundred  fresh  troops  and  the 
remnants  of  three  regiments  that  had  suffered  severely 
in  the  recent  engagement,  manned  the  lines,  while  the 
remaining  eight  thousand  men,  with  all  their  stores  and 
impedimenta,  retreated  to  the  ferry,  the  rear  being  covered 
by  a  few  light  guns  commanded  by  Captain  Alexander 
Hamilton,  who  later  became  one  of  the  biggest  guns  in  the 
American  political  field.  .  . 

Mifflin  went  back  to  the  lines,  and  held  them  until 
his  own  retreat  was  ordered,  when  his  detachment  quietly 


28o  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  safely  crossed  the  river,  Washington  himself  moving 
with  the  extreme  rear.  About  this  time  the  Reliable  Contra- 
band makes  his  first  appearance  in  American  military 
history.  He  was  sent  by  his  owner,  residing  near  the  ferry, 
to  inform  the  British  of  the  retreat,  but  he  struck  a  Hessian 
outpost;  the  Hessians  did  not  understand  English,  much 
less  Congo-Brooklyn-English,  and  the  man  and  brother 
had  not  enjoyed  the  modern  opportunities  of  his  race  for 
attending  universities  and  studying  German,  so  he  was 
put  under  guard  till  daylight,  and  when  he  finally  made 
himself  understood  and  the  British  hurried  to  the  ferry, 
they  secured  only  an  independent  rear  guard  of  three 
thieves. 

Blame  for  the  defeat  on  Long  Island  has  been  heaped 
upon  numerous  people  who  did  not  deserve  any  share  in  it ; 
Greene  has  been  charged  with  the  full  responsibility  for 
the  pass  at  the  left  of  the  ridge  being  unguarded,  although 
he  had  not,  up  to  the  time  he  fell  sick,  been  able  to  do  much 
more  than  look  to  his  inner  line.  Putman  and  Sullivan 
have  been  blamed,  although  neither  knew  the  ground. 
Washington,  as  commander-in-chief,  has  been  blamed  for 
everything  connected  with  the  affair,  except  the  existence  of 
Long  Island.  The  author  of  this  volume  stakes  his  rep- 
utation, as  a  military  critic,  on  the  opinion  that  the  blame 
really  and  exclusively  belongs  to  Lord  Howe,  who  had  al- 
together too  many  men  to  allow  the  Americans  a  fair  show. 
Fiat  justitia,  ruat  coelum!  The  credit  for  the  retreat  has 
been  almost  equally  divided  between  Washington  and  Prov- 
idence, which  is  about  the  square  thing,  for  although  Prov- 
idence is  the  sole  supplier  of  heavy  fogs  in  East  River,  .  . 
it  was  Washington  who  availed  himself  of  the  heaven- 
sent covering. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  in. 

In  a  Tempest  of  Anger  at  Kip's  Bay 

Washington,   looking    beyond    the    confusion    of    the 
moment,  saw  that  he  had  gained  much  by  delay,  and  had  his 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  281 

own  plan  well  denned.  He  wrote:  "We  have  not  only 
delayed  the  operations  of  the  campaign  till  it  is  too  late 
to  effect  any  capital  incursion  into  the  country,  but  have 
drawn  the  enemy's  forces  to  one  point.  ...  It  would 
be  presumption  to  draw  out  our  young  troops  into  open 
ground  against  their  superiors  both  in  number  and  disci- 
pline, and  I  have  never  spared  the  spade  and  pick-axe." 
Every  one  else,  however,  saw  only  past  defeat  and  present 
peril. 

The  British  ships  gradually  made  their  way  up  the 
river,  until  it  became  apparent  that  they  intended  to  sur- 
round and  cut  off  the  American  army.  Washington  made 
preparations  to  withdraw,  but  uncertainty  of  information 
came  near  rendering  his  precautions  futile.  September 
1 5th  the  men-of-war  opened  fire,  and  troops  were  landed 
near  Kip's  Bay.  The  militia  in  the  breastworks  at  that 
point  had  been  at  Brooklyn  and  gave  way  at  once,  com- 
municating their  panic  to  two  Connecticut  regiments. 
Washington,  galloping  down  to  the  scene  of  battle,  came 
upon  the  disordered  and  flying  troops.  He  dashed  in  among 
them,  but  even  while  he  was  trying  to  rally  them  they  broke 
again  on  the  appearance  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  of  the 
enemy,  and  ran  in  all  directions.  In  a  tempest  of  anger 
Washington  drew  his  pistols,  struck  the  fugitives  with  his 
sword,  and  was  only  forced  from  the  field  by  one  of  his 
officers  seizing  the  bridle  of  his  horse  and  dragging  him 
away  from  the  British,  now  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
spot. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  163. 

"No  Time  for  the  Army  to  Lose  Their  General" 

On  September  15,  a  group  of  horsemen,  occupying 
a  slight  eminence  of  ground  on  the  island  of  Manhattan, 
were  gazing  eastward.  Below  and  nearer  the  water  were 
spread  lines  of  soldiers  behind  intrenchments,  while  from 
three  men-of-war  lying  in  the  river  came  a  heavy  cannonade 


282  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

that  swept  the  shore  line  and  spread  over  the  water  a  pall 
of  smoke  which,  as  it  drifted  to  leeward,  obscured  the  Long 
Island  shore  from  view. 

"  Tis  evidently  a  feint,  your  Excellency,"  presently 
asserted  one  of  the  observers,  "to  cover  a  genuine  attack 
elsewhere — most  likely  above  the  Haarlem." 

The  person  addressed  — a  man  with  an  anxious,  care- 
worn face  that  made  him  look  fifty  at  least  —  lowered  his 
glass,  but  did  not  reply  for  some  moments.  "  You  may  be 
right,  sir,"  he  remarked,  "though  to  me  it  has  the  air  of 
an  intended  attack.  What  think  you,  Reed?" 

"I  agree  with  MifHin.  The  attack  will  be  higher 
up.  Hah!  Look  there!" 

A  rift  had  come  in  the  smoke,  and  a  column  of  boats, 
moving  with  well-timed  oars,  could  for  a  moment  be  seen 
as  it  came  forward. 

"They  intend  a  landing  at  Kip's  Bay,  as  I  surmised," 
exclaimed  the  general.  "Gentlemen,  we  shall  be  needed 
below."  He  turned  to  Reed  and  gave  him  an  order  con- 
cerning reinforcements,  then  wheeled,  and,  followed  by 
the  rest,  trotted  over  the  plowed  field.  Once  on  the  high- 
way, he  spurred  his  horse,  putting  him  to  a  sharp  canter.  .  . 

The  road  lay  in  the  hollow  of  the  land,  and  not  till 
the  party  reached  a  slight  rise  were  they  able  once  more  to 
get  a  glimpse  of  the  shores  of  the  bay.  Then  it  was  to  find 
the  flotilla  well  in  toward  its  intended  landing-place,  and 
the  American  troops  retreating  in  great  disorder  from  their 
breastworks. 

Exclamations  of  surprise  and  dismay  sprang  from  the 
lips  of  the  riders,  and  their  leader,  turning  his  horse,  jumped 
the  fence  and  galloped  across  the  field  to  intercept  the  fugi- 
tives. Five  minutes  brought  them  up  to  the  runaways, 
who,  out  of  breath  with  the  sharpness  of  their  race,  had 
come  to  a  halt,  and  were  being  formed  by  their  officers  into 
a  little  less  disorder. 

"General  Fellows,  what  is  the  reason  for  this  shameful 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  283 

retreat?"  demanded  the  general,  when  within  speaking 
distance. 

"The  men  were  seized  with  a  panic  on  the  approach 
of  the  boats,  your  Excellency,  and  could  not  be  held  in  the 
lines." 

Washington  faced  the  regiments,  his  face  blazing  with 
scorn.  "You  ran  before  a  shot  had  been  fired!  Before 
you  had  lost  a  man  you  deserted  the  works  that  have  taken 
many  weeks  to  build,  and  which  could  be  held  against  any 
such  force."  He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then,  drawing 
his  sword,  called  with  spirit :  "  Who's  for  recovering  them  ? ' ' 

A  faint  cheer  passed  down  the  lines;  but  almost  as  it 
sounded,  the  red  coats  of  fifty  or  sixty  light  infantry  came 
into  view  on  the  road,  a  skirmishing  party  thrown  forward 
from  the  landing  to  reconnoiter.  Had  they  been  Howe's 
whole  army,  however,  they  could  not  have  proved  more 
effective,  for  instantly  the  two  brigades  bro'ke  and  dissolved 
once  more  into  squads  of  flying  men. 

At  such  cowardice,  Washington  lost  all  control  of  him- 
self, and,  dashing  in  among  the  fugitives,  he  passionately 
struck  right  and  left  with  the  flat  of  his  sword,  thundering 
curses  at  them;  while  Putnam  and  Mifflin,  as  well  as  the 
aides,  followed  his  example.  It  was  hopeless,  however,  to 
stay  the  rush ;  the  men  took  the  blows  and  curses  unheeding 
while  throwing  away  their  guns  and  scattering  in  every 
direction . 

Made  frantic  by  such  conduct,  Washington  wheeled 
his  horse.  "  Charge ! "  he  cried,  and  rode  toward  the  enemy, 
waving  his  sword. 

If  the  commander-in-chief  hoped  to  put  some  of  his 
own  courage  into  the  troops  by  his  example  he  failed.  Not 
a  man  of  the  runaways  ceased  fleeing.  None  the  less,  as  if 
regardless  of  consequences  in  his  desperation,  Washington 
rode  on,  until  one  of  the  aides  dashed  his  spurs  into  his 
horse  and  came  up  beside  his  general  at  a  mad  gallop. 

"Your  Excellency!"  he  cried,  "  'tis  but  hopeless,  and 

1-20 


284  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

will  end  but  in—  Then,  as  his  superior  did  not  heed  him, 
he  seized  the  left  rein  of  his  horse's  bridle,  and,  pulling  on 
it,  swung  him  about  in  a  large  circle,  letting  go  his  hold 
only  when  they  were  riding  away  from  the  enemy. 

Washington  offered  no  resistance,  and  rode  the  hundred 
yards  to  where  the  rest  of  his  staff  were  standing,  with 
bowed  head.  Nothing  was  said  as  he  rejoined  the  group, 
and  Blueskin,  disappointed  in  the  charge  for  which  he  had 
shown  as  much  eagerness,  as  his  rider,  let  his  mind  recur  to 
thoughts  of  oats;  finding  no  control  in  the  *  hand  that  held 
his  bridle,  he  set  out  at  an  easy  trot  toward  headquar- 
ters. .  .  . 

"Get  you  some  supper,  gentlemen,"  he  ordered,  to 
such  of  his  aides  as  were  still  of  his  party,  "for  'tis  likely 
that  you  will  have  more  riding  when  the  council  have  de- 
liberated." 

"  Tis  advice  he  might  take  himself  to  proper  advan- 
tage, "  said  one  of  the  juniors,  while  they  were  stripping  off 
their  wet  coverings  in  a  side  room. 

"Aye,"  asserted  Brereton.  "The  general  uses  us  hard, 
Tilghman,  but  he  uses  himself  harder.  " 

The  make-shift  meal  was  still  unfinished,  when  the 
general's  body-servant  appeared  with  tea.  Taking  it, 
Brereton  marched  boldly  to  the  council  door,  and,  giving 
a  knock,  went  in  without  awaiting  a  reply. 

The  group  of  anxious-faced  men  about  the  table  looked 
up,  and  Washington,  with  a  frown,  demanded,  "  For  what 
do  you  interrupt  us,  sir?" 

The  young  officer  put  the  tea  down  on  the  map  lying  in 
front  of  the  general.  "Billy  didn't  dare  take  this  to  your 
Excellency,  so  I  made  bold  e'en  to  bring  it  myself. " 

"This  is  no  time  for  tea,  Colonel  Brereton." 
''Tis  no  time  for  the  army  to  lose  their  general, " 
replied  the  aide.     "I  pray  you  drink  it,  sir,  for  our  sake, 
if  you  won't  for  your  own." 

A  kindly  look  supplanted  the  sternness  of  the  previous 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  285 

moment  on  the  general's  face.  "I  thank  you  for  your 
thoughtfulness,  Brereton, ' '  he  said,  raising  the  cup  and 
pouring  some  of  the  steaming  drink  into  the  saucer. 

Janice  Meredith,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  154. 

"I  Can  Only  Regret  That  I  Have  but  One  Life" 

Washington,  as  we  know,  at  this  time  had  been  in  great 
perplexity  as  to  what  the  next  movements  of  the  British 
would  be,  and  after  consulting  with  his  officers  it  was  de- 
cided that  some  trusty  man  must  be  sent  as  a  spy  to  Long 
Island  to  learn  of  the  movements  and  plans  of  the  British 
army. 

Colonel  Knowlton,  whose  .regiment  was  known  as 
"Congress's  Own,"  and  was  composed  of  very  sterling 
men,  was  directed  to  select  some  suitable  man  for  the  task, 
and  his  choice  fell  upon  young  Captain  Nathan  Hale  of 
Connecticut,  who,  provided  with  passes  and  letters  by 
Washington  that  would  be  helpful  among  all  the  armed 
vessels  of  the  Americans,  soon  afterward  crossed  to  Long 
Island,  where  he  made  many  notes  and  sketches,  and  then 
prepared  to  recross  the  Sound  to  his  friends.  But  as  the  old 
story  runs,  he  was  recognized  by  a  relative  who  was  a  very 
bitter  Tory,  and  at  once  was  turned  over  to  General  Howe. 
Without  even  the  form  of  a  trial  he  was  sent  to  Cunningham, 
the  provost  marshal,  a  man  whose  deeds  make  him  one 
of  the  most  justly  detested  men  in  our  history,  with  orders 
for  his  execution. 

Even  at  this  time  Cunningham  showed  his  true  nature, 
for  he .  .  .  refused  young  Hale  permission  to  read  his  Bible 
or  have  a  word  with  a  clergyman  before  his  death.  Even 
the  tender  letters  he  had,  by  permission  of  Howe,  written 
his  mother  were  destroyed,  and  Nathan  Hale  was  speedily 
hanged  from  an  -apple  tree  in  an  orchard  that  grew  near 
the  present  East  Broadway.  The  last  words  of  the  brave 
young  martyr  were,  "  I  can  only  regret  +hat  I  have  but 
one  life  to  give  for  my  country." 


286  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  tragic  death  of  Nathan  Hale  created  a  feeling  of 
intense  anger  among  the  Continentals.  The  brutality  and 
cold-blooded  cruelty  that  attended  it  increased  the  fear  of 
the  wavering,  and  strengthened  the  determination  of  those 
'who  already  were  committed  to  the  cause  of  the  new  nation. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  120. 

A  Short,  Sharp  Action  at  White  Plains 

Meanwhile  the  days  slipped  along,  and  Washington 
waited  on  the  Harlem  Plains,  planning  descents  on  Long 
Island,  and  determining  to  make  a  desperate  stand  where 
he  was,  unless  the  situation  decidedly  changed.  Then 
the  situation  did  change,  as  neither  he  nor  any  one  else 
apparently  had  anticipated.  The  British  war-ships  came 
up  the  Hudson  past  the  forts,  brushing  aside  our  boasted 
obstructions,  destroying  our  little  fleet,  and  getting  com- 
mand of  the  river.  Then  General  Howe  landed  at  Frog's 
Point,  where  he  was  checked  for  the  moment  by  the  good 
disposition  of  Heath,  under  Washington's  direction.  These 
two  events  made  it  evident  that  the  situation  of  the  Amer- 
ican army  was  full  of  peril,  and  that  retreat  was  again 
necessary.  Such  certainly  was  the  conclusion  of  the  council 
of  war,  on  [Oct.]  i6th,  acting  this  time  in  agreement  with 
their  chief..  Six  days  Howe  lingered  on  Frog's  Point, 
bringing  up  stores  or  artillery  or  something;  it  matters 
little  now  why  he  tarried.  Suffice  it  that  he  waited,  and 
gave  six  days  to  his  opponent.  They  were  of  little  value 
to  Howe,  but  they  were  of  inestimable  worth  to  Washington, 
who  employed  them  in  getting  everything  in  readiness,  in 
holding  his  council  of  war,  and  then  on  the  iyth  in  moving 
deliberately  off  to  very  strong  ground  at  White  Plains. 
On  his  way  he  fought  two  or  three  slight,  sharp  and  success- 
ful skirmishes  with  the  British.  Sir  William  followed 
closely,  but  with  much  caution,  having  now  a  dull  glimmer 
in  his  mind  that  at  the  head  of  the  raw  troops  in  front  of 
him  was  a  man  with  whom  it  was  not  safe  to  be  entirely 
careless. 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  "287 

On  the  28th,  Howe  came  up  to  Washington's  position, 
and  found  the  Americans  quite  equal  in  numbers,  strongly 
intrenched,  and  waiting  his  attack  with  confidence.  He 
hesitated,  doubted,  and  finally  feeling  that  he  must  do 
something,  sent  four  thousand  men  to  storm  Chatterton 
Hill,  an  outlying  post,  where  some  fourteen  hundred  Amer- 
icans were  stationed.  There  was  a  short,  sharp  action,  and 
then  the  Americans  retreated  in  good  order  to  the  main 
army,  having  lost  less  than  half  as  many  men  as  their  op- 
ponents. With  caution  now  much  enlarged,  Howe  sent  for 
reinforcements,  and  waited  two  days.  The  third  day  it 
rained,  and  on  the  fourth  Howe  found  that  Washington 
had  withdrawn  to  a  higher  and  quite  impregnable  line  ol^ 
hills,  where  he  held  all  the  passes  in  the  rear  and  awaited 
a  second  attack.  Howe  contemplated  the  situation  for 
two  or  three  days  longer,  and  then  broke  camp  and  with- 
drew to  Dobbs  Ferry.  Such  were  the  great  results  of  the 
victory  of  Long  Island,  two  wasted  months,  and  the  Amer- 
ican army  still  untouched. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  168. 

"If  We  Do  Meet  Again—Why,  We  Shall  Smile" 

Lee  was  evidently  elevated  by  his  successes  at  the  South, 
and  disposed  to  criticise  disparagingly  the  military  operations 
of  other  commanders.  In  a  letter,  written  on  the  day  of 
his  arrival,  to  his  old  associate  in  arms,  General  Gates,  he 
condemns  the  position  of  the  army,  and  censures  Washing- 
ton for  .submitting  to  the  dictation  of  Congress,  whose 
meddlesome  instructions  had  produced  it.  "Inter  nos," 
writes  he,  "the  Congress  seems  to  stumble  at  every  step.  I 
do  not  mean  one  or  two  of  the  cattle  but  the  whole  stable. 
I  have  been  very  free  in  delivering  my  opinion  to  them.  In 
my  opinion  General  Washington  is  much  to  blame  in  not 
menacing  'em  with  resignation,  unless  they  refrain  from  un- 
hinging the  army  by  their  absurd  interference.  Adieu,  my 
dear  friend;  if  we  do  meet  again — why,  we  shall  smile." 


288  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

In  the  meantime,  Congress,  on  the  nth  of  October, 
having  heard  of  the  ingress  of  the  Phoenix,  Roebuck  and 
Tartar,  passed  a  resolution  that  General  Washington  be 
desired,  if  it  be  practicable,  by  every  art,  and  at  whatever 
expense,  to  obstruct  effectually  the  navigation  of  the  North 
River  between  Fort  Washington  and  Mount  Constitution 
as  well  to  prevent  the  egress  of  the  enemy's  vessels  lately 
gone  up  as  to  hinder  them  from  receiving  succors. 

Under  so  many  conflicting  circumstances,  Washing- 
ton held  a  council  of  war  on  the  i6th,  at  Lee's  headquarters. 
;'  .  .  Letters  from  the  convention  and  from  individual 
members  of  it  were  read,  concerning  the  turbulence  of  the 
disaffected  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  States;  intelligence 
gained  from  deserters  was  likewise  stated,  showing  the  in- 
tention of  the  enemy  to  surround  the  camp. 

After  much  consideration  and  debate,  all  agreed, 
with  but  one  dissenting  voice,  that  it  was  not  possible  to 
prevent  the  communication  from  being  cut  off,  and  that 
one  of  the  consequences  mentioned  in  the  question  must 
follow. 

As  the  resolve  of  Congress  seemed  imperative  with 
regard  to  Fort  Washington,  that  post,  it  was  agreed,  should 
be  "retained  as  long  as  possible." 

A  strong  garrison  was  accordingly  placed  in  it,  .  .  .  •  . 
and  solemnly  charged  by  Washington  to  defend  it  to  the  last 
extremity.  The  name  of  the  opposite  post  on  the  Jersey 
shore,  where  Greene  was  stationed,  was  changed  from  Fort 
Constitution  to  Fort  Lee,  in  honor  of  the  General.  Lee,  in 
fact,  was  the  military  idol  of  the  day.  Even  the  family  of 
the  commander-in-chief  joined  in  paying  him  homage. 
Colonel  Tench  Tilghman,  Washington's  aide-de-camp,  in 
a  letter  to  a  friend,  writes:  "You  ask  if  General  Lee  is  in 
health,  and  our  people  bold.  I  answer  both  in  the  affir- 
mative. His  appearance  among  us  has  contributed  not  a 
little  to  the  latter." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving.  Vol.  II.  p.  441. 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  289 

"Perhaps  to  Lose  My  Character" 

Howe,  like  most  other  genial  gentlemen,  was  extremely 
lazy,  so  instead  of  hurrying  into  New  Jersey,  cutting  off 
Washington  and  capturing  Philadelphia,  all  of  which  he 
might  have  done  with  half  of  his  force,  he  lingered  to  capture 
Fort  Washington,  which  was  neither  useful,  dangerous  nor 
ornamental.  Washington  got  as  far  south  on  the  Palisades 
in  time  to  observe  the  capture  of  the  fort  bearing  his  name, 
and  to  see  the  fort's  defenders,  who  had  not  learned  how 
to  surrender  according  to  German  rule,  bayoneted  in  great 
numbers  by  the  Hessians  while  asking  for  quarter.  In- 
stead of  swearing  at  Congress  or  condemning  Greene's  soul 
to  the  final  abode  of  the  wicked, — for  both  Congress  and 
Greene  had  opposed  Washington's  desire  to  abandon  the 
fort — the  self-contained  commander-in-chief  burst  into 
tears,  thus  proving  anew  his  rare  ability  for  doing  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time. 

The  loss  of  the  fort  deprived  Washington  of  three 
thousand  troops,  and  the  time  of  nearly  all  the  remainder 
of  the  army  would  expire  within  a  fortnight ;  two  thousand 
men  on  each  side  of  the  Hudson  was  Washington's  own 
estimate  of  the  regular  troops  that  would  remain.  No 
wonder,  then,  that  he  wrote  his  brother,  regarding  the 
delay  of  Congress  in  "engaging  men  upon  such  terms  as 
would  insure  success,  "  that  he  was  "  wearied  almost  to  death 
with  the  retrograde  motion  of  things,  and  I  solemnly  protest 
that  a  pecuniary  reward  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  a  year 
would  not  induce  me  to  undergo  what  I  do,  and  after  all,  per- 
haps to  lose  my  character,  as  it  is  impossible,  under  such  a 
variety  of  distressing  circumstances,  to  conduct  matters 
agreeably  to  the  public  expectations." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  124. 

Six  Weeks  after  the  Battle  of  Long  Island 

Such  was  the  status  of  the  war  six  weeks  after  the 
battle  of  Long  Island;  Washington  was  merely  on  the  de- 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


fensive  in  a  position  not  hard  to  turn  or  even  surround; 
that  the  British  must  sooner  or  later  compel  him  to  abandon 
his  position  would  have  been  evident  to  any  soldier  of  ordi- 
nary. experience  in  strategy,  but  Washington  was  not  that 
sort  of  a  man,  as  yet,  and  even  Greene,  his  ablest  lieutenant, 
did  not  realize  the  army's  danger.  Lee  en  route  from  the 
south,  although  no  patriot,  was  a  better  soldier;  he  com- 
prehended the  situation,  freed  his  mind  to  Congress  by  letter, 
and  then  joined  Washington.  Meanwhile  the  enemy,  on 
the  Sound,  worked  further  and  further  to  the  rear,  landing 
troops  finally  near  New  Rochelle  and  moving  toward  White 
Plains,  to  which  town  Washington  threw  back  his  left. 
But  the  enemy's  movements  were  not  made  without  oppo- 
sition ;  little  by  little  the  rebels  were^  learning  how  to 
fight,  and  before  Howe  was  fairly  in  line  in  Westches- 
ter  county  on  the  Sound,  he  had  been  severely  tormented 
by  Hand's  Pennsylvanians,  who  had  done  valiant  things 
on  Long  Island,  Prescott,  whom  Howe  had  learned  to 
respect  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  Colonel  Glover's  Marblehead 
men,  who  had  been  at  sea  too  much  to  fear  anything  on 
land. 

.-•'.-  .  .  .  Washington  finally  massed  most  of  the 
army  at  White  Plains,  where  he  fortified  high  ground  with 
the  Bronx  river  and  a  morass  in  front.  It  was  in  this 
vicinity  that  the  Americans  first  saw  and  feared  the  British 
dragoon  and  that  Washington  inaugurated  the  beginning 
of  the  end  of  this  special  apprehension  by  offering  a  special 
reward  of  a  hundred  dollars  to  every  man  who  brought  in  a 
trooper  with  his  horse  and  accoutrements.  A  hundred  dol- 
lars can  create  a  great  deal  of  courage. 

At  White  Plains  Washington  scared  Howe  with  a 
fortification  erected  in  a  manner  not  recognized  by  foreign 
authorities  on  defensive  works.  It  consisted  of  corn  stalks, 
pulled  up  by  the  -roots  and  piled  so  that  the  rooted  ends, 
with  masses  of  earth  clinging  to  them,  resembled  embank- 
ments of  earth.  Corn  had  occasionally  saved  the  country 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  291 

in  time  of  peace,  but  never  before  had  it  risen  to  the  dig- 
nity of  constituting  a  fortification. 

By  this  time,  the  end  of  October,  the  weather  seemed 
very  cold  to  Washington's  army,  which  owned  as  few  over- 
coats as  an  equal  number  of  tramps  would  have  done.  .Worse 
yet,  their  clothes  were  threadbare,  and  Washington  had 
no  new  ones  to  issue;  even  shoddy  blankets  had  not  yet 
been  invented,  much  less  issued.  Men  who  shiver  all  night 
are  not  the  ones  to  fight  well  by  daylight.  For  this  reason 
and  many  others,  one  of  which  was  that  the  enemy  was  cer- 
tain to  fortify  his  base  before  moving  to  an  attack,  Washing- 
ton waited  until  Howe  had  intrenched  himself ;  then  he  fell 
back  to  Northcastle,  five  miles,  and  again  threw  up  lines. 
This  apparently  disgusted  the  enemy,  for  at  the  rate  of 
distance  already  covered,  Washington  might  hold  him  in 
pursuit  for  several  years.  Howe  suddenly  gave  up  the  game 
and  fell  back  toward  New  York,  and  Washington,  leaving 
a  force  under  Lee  at  Northcastle,  from  which  point  he  could 
easily  fall  back  so  as  to  have  the  Croton  River  on  his  front, 
and  placed  Heath  at  Peekskill  in  command  of  a  division 
for  the  defense  of  the  Highlands,  crossed  the  Hudson  with 
his  remaining  troops  and  went  into  New  Jersey  to  dis- 
cover what  Howe  was  up  to. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  120. 

The  British  Take  Fort  Washington 

Howe  was  resolved,  however,  that  his  campaign  should 
not  be  utterly  fruitless,  and  therefore  directed  his  attention 
to  the  defences  of  the  Hudson,  Fort  Lee,  and  Fort  Wash- 
ington, and  here  he  met  with  better  success.  Congress, 
in  its  military  wisdom,  had  insisted  that  these  forts  must 
and  could  be  held.  So  thought  the  generals,  and  so  most 
especially  and  most  unluckily,  did  Greene.  Washington, 
with  his  usual  accurate  and  keen  perception,  saw,  from 
the  time  the  men-of-war  came  up  the  Hudson,  and,  now 
that  the  British  army  was  free,  more  clearly  than  ever 


292  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

that  both  forts  ought  to  be  abandoned.  Sure  of  his  ground, 
he  overruled  Congress,  but  was  so  far  influenced  by  Greene 
that  he  gave  to  that  officer  discretionary  orders  as  to 
withdrawal.  This  was  an  act  of  weakness,  as  he  after- 
wards admitted,  for  which  he  bitterly  reproached  him- 
self, never  confusing  or  glossing  over  his  own  errors,  but 
loyal  there  as  elsewhere  to  facts.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  hold  both  forts  and  both  were  lost  as  he  had  fore- 
seen. From  Fort  Lee  the  garrison  withdrew  in  safety. 
Fort  Washington  was  carried  by  storm  after  a  severe 
struggle.  Twenty-six  hundred  men  and  all  the  muni- 
tions of  war  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  It  was  a 
serious  and  most  depressing  loss,  and  was  felt  throughout 
the  continent. 

Meantime  Washington  had  crossed  into  the  Jerseys, 
and,  after  the  loss  of  Fort  Lee,  began  to  retreat  before  the 
British,  who,  flushed  with  victory,  now  advanced  rapidly 
under  Lord  Cornwallis.  The  crisis  of  his  fate  and  of  the 
Revolution  was  upon  him.  His  army  was  melting  away. 
The  militia  had  almost  all  disappeared,  and  regiments 
whose  term  of  enlistment  had  expired  were  departing 
daily.  Lee,  who  had  a  division  under  his  command,  was 
ordered  to  come  up,  but  paid  no  attention,  although  the 
orders  were  repeated  almost  every  day  for  a  month. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  169. 

"Who  Would  Have  Blamed  Him? 

At  Hackensack,  Washington  had  only  about  three 
thousand  men,  and  the  country  being  flat,  was  defenseless 
against  any  force  that  could  cross  the  river.  So  he  placed 
another  river  behind  him  by  moving  to  Newark.  Adjutant 
Reed  was  sent  to  Governor  Livingston,  of  New  Jersey,  to 
beg  for  militia — for  any  sort  of  men  were  better  than  none, 
and  General  Miffllin  was  hurried  to  Philadelphia  to  ask  aid 
of  that  city  and  Congress.  Lee,  still  at  Northcastle,  was 
ordered  to  cross  the  Hudson,  march  south  and  join  Wash- 


Gen.  William  Howe 


Sir  Henry  Clinton  Lord  Cornwallis 

PORTRAITS  OF  THREE  BRITISH  COMMANDERS 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  293 

ington,  and  on  him  great  dependence  was  placed,  for  he 
really  had  troops  fairly  equipped  for  service. 

But  Lee  who  never  respected  any  military  officer  except 
the  one  he  saw  in  his  mirror,  had  begun  to  imagine  himself 
an  independent  commander,  and  not  only  failed  to  obey 
orders  but  coolly  outlined  a  campaign  of  his  own,  and  en- 
deavored to  weaken  Heath,  who  was  holding  the  Highlands. 
Lee  had  but  a  single  principle  in  life;  this  was,  to  consider 
the  interests  of  Charles  Lee,  first;  last,  and  all  the  time; 
but  many  a  better  man  in  his  position  might  have  lost 
his  head  temporarily  under  the  undeserved  praise  and  un- 
merited flattery  that  were  heaped  upon  him.  Even  Reed, 
Washington's  best  friend,  was  so  dazzled  by  Lee's  brilliancy 
that  he  forgot  his  own  honor  so  far  as  to  criticise  Wash- 
ington and  praise  Lee  in  letters  to  the  latter;  worse  still,  a 
portion  of  this  correspondence  came  under  the  eye  of  Wash- 
ington, just  when  he  needed  all  the  friends  he  had,  and  gave 
him  the  cruelest  wound  he  ever  received.  If  he  had  never, 
after  this,  attached  himself  affectionately  to  any  one,  who 
would  have  blamed  him? 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  126. 

A  Letter  to  the  Mother  of  Mary  Philipse 

In  the  midst  of  these  public  movements,  old  associa- 
tions assert  themselves.  Here  is  a  letter  to  the  mother  of 
the  Mary  Philipse,  whom  he  did  not  marry  twenty  years 
before : 

•'  To  Mrs.  Philipse,  Philipsboro. 

"Headquarters  at  Mr.  Valentine's,  Oct.  22,  1776. 
"  MADAM : 

"The  misfortunes  of  war  and  the  unhappy  circum- 
stances frequently  attendant  thereon  to  individuals  are  more 
to  be  lamented  than  avoided ;  but  it  is  the  duty  of  every  one 
to  alleviate  these  as  much  as  possible.  Far  be  it  from 
me,  then,  to  add  to  the  distress  of  a  lady,  who,  I  am 
but  too  sensible,  must  already  have  suffered  much  uneasi- 


294  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

ness,  if   not  inconvenience,  on  account  of  Col.   Philipse's 
absence. 

"  No  special  order  has  gone  forth  from  me  for  re- 
moval of  the  stock  of  the  inhabitants,  but  from  the  nature 
of  the  case,  and  in  consequence  of  some  resolutions  of  the 
convention  of  this  State,  the  measure  has  been  adopted. 
However,  as  I  am  satisfied  it  is  not  meant  to  deprive  fami- 
lies of  their  necessary  support,  I  shall  not  withhold  my 
consent  to  your  retaining  such  parts  of  your  stock  as  may 
be  essential  to  this  purpose,  relying  on  your  assurances  and 
promise  that  no  more  will  be  retained." 

"G.  W." 

In  the  correspondence  of  the  autumn,  both  military 
and  private,  are  one  and  another  intimation  of  the  condition 
of  the  currency.  In  a  long  letter  of  Aug.  i5th  to  his 
agent,  Lund  Washington,  he  says: 

"  A  barrel  of  corn  which  used  to  sell  for  ten  shillings  will 
now  fetch  forty  shillings.  A  barrel  of  pork  which  could  be 
had  for  three  pounds  sells  for  five  pounds. " 

Satisfied  that  Howe  intended  to  operate  in  New  Jersey, 
he  withdrew  the  principal  part  of  his  force  there,  and  was 
obliged,  from  point  to  point,  to  retire  before  him.  Early 
in  December  he  crossed  the  Delaware  River,  and  virtually 
left  the  Jerseys  in  the  hands  of  the  English. 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  Studied  Anew,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  p.  195. 

Sharing  His  Blanket  with  a  Negro  Servant 

Once  the  General  was  engaged  in  earnest  consultation 
with  Colonel  Pickering  until  after  night  had  fairly  set  in. 
Washington  prepared  to  stay  with  the  Colonel  over  night, 
provided  he  had  a  spare  blanket  and  straw.  "Oh,  yes," 
said  Primus,  who  was  appealed  to,  "plenty  of  straw  and 
blankets,  plenty."  .  .  . 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Washington  awoke.  He 
looked  about  him  and  descried  the  negro.  He  gazed  at 
him  a  while  and  then  spoke. 


DEFEATS  AND  RETREATS  295 

"Primus,"  said  he,  "Primus!"  Primus  started  up 
and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

"What,  General?"  said  he. 

Washington  rose  up  in  his  bed.  "Primus,"  said  he, 
"what  do  you  mean  by  saying  you  had  blankets  and  straw 
enough?  Here  you  have  given  up  your  blankets  and  straw 
to  me,  that  I  may  sleep  comfortably,  while  you  are  obliged 
to  sit  through  the  night."  "It's  nothing,  General,"  said 
Primus!  "  It's  nothing!  I'm  well  enough!  Don't  trouble 
yourself  about  me,  General,  but  go  to  sleep  again.  No 
matter  about  me,  I  sleep  very  good!"  "But  it  is  matter, 
it  is  matter,"  said  Washington.  "I  cannot  do  it,  Primus. 
If  either  is  to  sit  up,  I  will.  But  I  think  there  is  no  need  of 
either  sitting  up.  The  blanket  is  wide  enough  for  two. 
Come  and  lie  down  with  me." 

"Oh,  no,  General!"  said  Primus,  starting  and  protest- 
ing against  the  proposition.  "No,  let  me  sit  here."  "I 
say  come  and  lie  down  here!"  said  Washington.  "There 
is  room  for  both;  I  insist  upon  it." 

He  threw  open  the  blanket  as  he  spoke,  and  moved  to 
one  side  of  the  straw.  Primus  professed  to  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly shocked  at  the  idea  of  lying  under  the  same 
covering  with  the  commander-in-chief,  but  his  tone  was  so 
resolute  and  determined  that  he  could  not  hesitate.  He 
prepared  himself  therefore  and  laid  himself  down  by  Wash- 
ington ;  on  the  same  straw  under  the  same  blanket,  and  the 
General  and  the  negro  slept  until  morning. 

Washington's  Birthday   Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler  p.  aaa. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS" 
When  the  Friend  of  His  Bosom  Could  So  Misjudge  Him 

In  this  moment  of  hurry  and  agitation,  Colonel  Reed, 
also,  Washington's  fidus  Achates,  wrote  to  Lee,  but  in  a 
tone  and  spirit  that  may  surprise  the  reader,  knowing  the 
devotion  he  had  hitherto  manifested  for  the  commander- 
in-chief.  After  expressing  the  common  wish  that  Lee 
should  be  at  the  principal  scene  of  action,  he  adds:  "  I  do 
not  mean  to  flatter  or  praise  you,  at  the  expense  of  any 
other;  but  I  do  think  it  is  entirely  owing  to  you,  that  this 
army,  and  the  liberties  of  America,  so  far  as  they  are  de- 
pendent on  it,  are  not  entirely  cut  off.  You  have  decision, 
a  quality  often  wanting  in  minds  otherwise  valuable,  and 
I  ascribe  to  this  our  escape  from  York  Island,  King's 
Bridge,  and  the  Plains ;  and  I  have  no  doubt,  had  you  been 
here,  the  garrison  of  Mount  Washington  would  now  have 
composed  a  part  of  this  army;  and  from  all  these  circum- 
stances, I  confess,  I  do  ardently  wish  to  see  you  removed 
from  a  place  where  there  will  be  so  little  call  for  your  judg- 
ment and  experience,  to  the  place  where  they  are  likely 
to  be  so  necessary.  Nor  am  I  singular  in  my  opinion; 
every  gentleman  of  the  family,  the  officers  and  soldiers 
generally,  have  a  confidence  in  you.  The  enemy  con- 
stantly inquire  where  you  are,  and  seem  to  be  less  confi- 
dent when  you  are  present." 

Then  alluding  to  the  late  affair  at  Fort  Washington, 
he  continues:  "General  Washington's  own  judgment, 
seconded  by  representations  from  us,  would,  I  believe, 
have  saved  the  men,  but,  unluckily  General  Greene's  judg- 
ment was  contrary.  This  kept  the  general's  mind  in  a 

(296) 


"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS"      297 

state  of  suspense,  till  the  stroke  was  struck.  Oh,  general! 
An  indecisive  mind  is  one  of  the  greatest  misfortunes  that 
can  befall  an  army;  how  often  have  I  lamented  it  this 
campaign!  All  circumstances  considered,  we  are  in  a  very 
awful  and  alarming  situation ;  one  that  requires  the  utmost 
wisdom,  and  firmness  of  mind.  As  soon  as  the  season  will 
admit,  I  think  yourself  and  some  others  should  go  to  Con- 
gress, and  form  the  plan  of  the  new  army.  ...  I  must 
conclude,  with  my  clear  and  explicit  opinion,  that  your 
presence  is  of  the  last  importance." 

Well  might  Washington  apprehend  that  his  character 
and  conduct,  in  the  perplexities  in  which  he  was  placed, 
would  be  liable  to  be  misunderstood  by  the  public,  when 
the  friend  of  his  bosom  could  so  misjudge  him. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  498. 

"Made  a  Prisoner  by  a  Brat!" 

One  story  may  illustrate  the  character  of  the  life  in 
the  region  at  this  time.  A  widow  living  with  her  only 
boy,  a  lad  of  twelve  years,  found  that  the  vegetables,  in 
her  garden  were  being  taken.  The  lad  resolved  to  watch 
one  night,  and  so  took  his  place  in  a  dark  spot  near  the 
garden.  His  loaded  gun  was  in  his  hands,  and  for  a  while 
he  had  no  difficulty  in  remaining  awake.  After  a  time, 
when  the  novelty  of  his  duty  was  gone,  and  he  was  begin- 
ning to  feel  sleepy,  he  suddenly  discovered  some  man  filling 
a  huge  bag  with  the  fruits  of  the  garden.  Stepping  softly, 
the  boy  approached,  and  presenting  his  loaded  gun  at  the 
soldier's  rear,  ordered  him  to  keep  the  heavy  bag  and 
march  before  him.  Death  would  be  the  consequence  of 
any  attempt  to  turn  aside  or  drop  the  bag.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  done  but  obey;  so  the  huge  Highlander,  for 
such  the  soldier  proved  to  be,  was  marched  to  the  Ameri- 
can camp  and  given  over  by  the  proud  young  captor  as  a 
prisoner  of  war.  Slight  cause  for  wonder  is  it  that  the 
captive  grenadier,  when  at  last  he  ventured  to  turn  his 


298  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

head  and  perceived  who  his  captor  was,  should  have  ex- 
claimed in  disgust  : 

"  A  British  grenadier  made  a  prisoner  by  a  brat !  Such 
a  brat!" 

Men  who  attempted  to  visit  their  homes  or  families  in 
this  region  were  watched,  and  in  numberless  cases  hanged 
or  shot  before  the  very  eyes  of  their  children.  One  man  who 
had  ventured  to  return  to  his  home  was  traced,  and  just 
as  the  Tories,  who  were  even  more  bitter  than  the  regulars, 
were  about  to  break  into  the  house,  after  the  demand  for 
his  surrender  had  been  refused,  was  concealed  by  his  frantic 
wife  in  a  heap  of  ashes,  and  breathing  through  a  long  goose 
quill,  even  his  face  being  covered,  in  this  manner  escaped 
from  his  pursuers.  Not  all  of  the  murdering  and  plunder- 
ing was  done  by  the  men  of  one  side,  but  the  terror  that 
possessed  the  region  at  the  time  is  one  of  the  best  com- 
mentaries on  the  horrors  of  war  in  any  place  or  period. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  128. 

"Opened  by  Mistake,"  by  George  Washington 

At  this  moment  of  care  and  perplexity,  a  letter,  for- 
warded by  express,  arrived  at  headquarters.  It  was  from 
General  Lee,  dated  from  his  camp  at  Northcastle,  to  Colonel 
Reed,  and  was  in  reply  to  a  letter  written  by  that  officer 
from  Hackensack  on  the  2ist,  which  we  have  already  laid 
before  the  reader.  Supposing  that  it  related  to  official 
business,.  Washington  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows  : 

"My  dear  Mr.  Reed: — I  received  your  most  obliging, 
flattering  letter;  lament  with  you  that  fatal  indecision  of 
mind,  which  in  war  is  a  much  greater  disqualification 
than  stupidity,  or  even  want  of  personal  courage.  Acci- 
dent may  put  a  decisive  blunderer  in  the  right;  but 
eternal  defeat  and  miscarriage  must  attend  the  man  of  the 
best  parts,  if  cursed  with  indecision.  The  General  recom- 
mends in  so  pressing  a  manner ,  as  almost  to  amount  to 
an  order,  to  bring  over  the  Continental  troops  under  my 


"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS''      299 

command,  which  recommendation,  or  order,  throws  me 
into  the  greatest  dilemma  from  several  considerations.  - ' 
After  stating  these  considerations,  he  adds:  "  My  reason  for 
not  having  marched  already  is,  .that  we  have  just  received 
intelligence  that  Rogers'  corps,  the  light  horse,  part  of  the 
Highlanders,  and  another  brigade,  lie  in  so  exposed  a  situa- 
tion as  to  give  the  fairest  opportunity  of  being  carried. 
I  should  have  attempted  it  last  night,  but  the  rain  was  too 
violent,  and  when  our  pieces  are  wet,  you  know  our  troops 
are  hors  du  combat.  This  night  I  hope  will  be  better, 
I  only  wait  myself  for  this  business  of  Rogers  and 
company  being  over,  I  shall  then  fly  to  you ;  for,  to  confess 
a  truth,  I  really  think  our  chief  will  do  better  with  me  than 
without  me." 

A  glance  over  this  letter  sufficed  to  show  Washington 
that,  at  this  dark  moment,  when  he  most  needed  support 
and  sympathy,  his  character  and  military  conduct  were 
the  subject  of  disparaging  comments,  between  the  friend 
in  whom  he  had  so  implicitly  confided,  and  a  sarcastic 
and  apparently  self -constituted  rival.  Whatever  may  have 
been  his  feelings  of  wounded  pride  and  outraged  friendship, 
he  restrained  them,  and  enclosed  the  letter  to  Reed,  with 
the  following  chilling  note: 

"Dear  Sir: — The  enclosed  was  put  into  my  hands  by 
an  express  from  White  Plains.  Having  no  idea  of  its 
being  a  private  letter,  much  less  suspecting  the  tendency  of 
the  correspondence,  I  opened  it,  as  I  have  done  all  other 
letters  to  you  from  the  same  place,  and  Peekskill,  upon 
the  business  of  your  office,  as  I  conceived,  and  found  them 
to  be.  This,  as  it  is  the  truth,  must  be  my  excuse  for 
seeing  the  contents  of  a  letter  which  neither  inclination  nor 
intention  would  have  prompted  me  to,"  etc. 

The  very  calmness  and  coldness  of  this  note  must  have 
had  a  greater  effect  on  Reed,  than  could  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  most  vehement  reproaches.  In  subsequent 

1-21 


3oo  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

communications,  he  endeavored  to  explain  away  the  offen- 
sive paragraphs  in  Lee's  letter,  declaring  there  was  nothing 
in  his  own  inconsistent  with  the  respect  and  affection  he 
had  ever  borne  for  Washington's  person  and  character. 

Fortunately  for  Reed,  Washington  never  saw  that  letter. 
There  were  passages  in  it  beyond  the  reach  of  softening  ex- 
planation. As  it  was,  the  purport  of  it,  as  reflected  in 
Lee's  reply,  had  given  him  a  sufficient  shock.  His  mag- 
nanimous nature,  however,  was  incapable  of  harboring 
long  resentments;  especially  in  matters  relating  solely  to 
himself.  His  personal  respect  for  Colonel  Reed  continued; 
he  invariably  manifested  a  high  sense  of  his  merits,  and 
consulted  him,  as  before,  on  military  affairs ;  but  his  hitherto 
affectionate  confidence  in  him,  as  a  sympathizing  friend, 
had  received  an  incurable  wound.  His  letters,  before  so 
frequent,  and  such  perfect  outpourings  of  heart  and  mind, 
became  few  and  far  between,  and  confined  to  matters  of 
business. 

Life  o}  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving.  Vol.  II,  p.  509. 

The  "Marine  Turtle"  and  Admiral  Howe's  Flagship 

It  was  during  this  time  that  two  events  occurred  that 
have  been  almost  ignored  in  our  records  of  the  struggle. 
One  was  the  attempt  of  Ezra  Lee  to  blow  up  the  Eagle, 
Admiral  Howe's  flagship,  which  was  anchored  off  the  shore 
of  Governor's  Island.  "A  young  mechanic  named  Bushnell, 
of  Connecticut,  had  invented  what  he  called  a  "marine 
turtle,"  by  which  he  was  confident  that  a  daring  man 
could  move  under  the  water,  approach  the  hull  of  a  ship, 
and  by  fastening  his  contrivance  to  the  bottom,  and  ar- 
ranging the  clock-work  of  the  "turtle,"  have  ample  time  to 
escape  himself  before  the  explosion  followed,  which  it  was 
confidently  believed  would  blow  the  largest  man-of-war 
into  flinders. 

The  plan  approved,  the  daring  Ezra  Lee  was  selected 
to  make  the  attempt.  One  night  at  midnight  he  entered 


"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS"       301 

the  machine,  left  the  dock  at  the  foot  of  Whitehall,  and 
started  on  his  perilous  venture.  Washington  and  several 
of  his  officers  who  were  in  the  secret  waited  all  night 
long  on  the  dock  for  the  outcome  of  the  attempt,  no  one 
of  them  being  hopeful  of  success,  and  as  the  gray  of  dawn 
appeared  not  even  daring  to  believe  that  young  Ezra  would 
ever  be  seen  again. 

Just  at  that  time,  however,  suddenly  a  column  of  water 
was  thrown  into  the  air  near  the  dim  outline  of  the  Eagle, 
and  it  was  apparent  that  there  was  a  great  commotion  both 
on  board  the  flagship  and  on  the  near-by  shore.  No  great 
damage  had  been  done,  that  was  evident,  but  what  had 
become  of  Ezra  Lee?  For  a  long  time  the  American  offi- 
cers waited,  and  just  as  they  were  about  to  go  back  to 
their  men,  satisfied  that  the  attempt  had  failed  and  that 
the  young  man  was  drowned,  he  was  discovered  in  the 
water  near  the  dock.  Friendly  hands  speedily  drew  him 
forth,  and  warm  were  the  words  of  praise  bestowed  upon 
him  by  all.  The  attempt  had  indeed  failed,  for  the  bottom 
of  the  flagship  had  been  covered  with  copper.  It  had 
been  impossible  to  find  a  place  to  which  the  turtle  could  be 
fastened.  Ezra  Lee's  spirit  and  daring  had  appealed  to 
Washington  so  strongly,  however,  that  he  was  chosen  by 
the  commander  as  one  of  his  most  trusty  scouts,  and  had 
an  active  part  afterward  in  the  battles  of  Trenton,  Brandy- 
wine,  and  Monmouth. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution.  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  119. 

Facing  the  Grim  Realities  Alone 

On  December  2nd  Washington  was  at  Princeton  with 
three  thousand  ragged  men,  and  the  British  close  upon  his 
heels.  They  had  him  now  surely  in  their  grip.  There  could 
be  no  mistake  this  time,  and  there  was  therefore  no  need 
of  a  forced  march.  But  they  had  not  yet  learned  that  to 
Washington  even  hours  meant  much,  and  when,  after  duly 
resting,  they  reached  the  Delaware,  they  found  the  Ameri- 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


cans  on  the  other  side,  and  all  the  boats  destroyed  for  a  dis- 
tance of  seventy  miles. 

It  was  winter  now,  the  short  gray  days  had  come,  and 
with  them  piercing  cold  and  storms  of  sleet  and  ice.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  elements  alone  would  finally  disperse  the 
feeble  body  of  men  still  gathered  about  the  commander-in- 
chief .  Congress  had  sent  him  blank  commissions  and  orders 
to  recruit,  which  were  well  meant,  but  were  not  practically 
of  much  value.  As  Glendower  could  call  spirits  from  the 
vasty  deep,  so  they,  with  like  success,  sought  to  call  sol- 
diers from  the  earth  in  the  midst  of  defeat,  and  in  the  teeth 
of  a  North  American  winter.  Washington,  baffling  pursuit 
and  flying  from  town  to  town,  left  nothing  undone.  North 
and  south  went  letters  and  appeals  for  men,  money,  and 
supplies.  Vain,  very  vain,  it  all  was,  for  the  most  part, 
but  still  it  was  done  in  a  tenacious  spirit.  Lee  would  not 
come,  the  Jersey  militia  would  not  turn  out,  thousands 
began  to  accept  Howe's  amnesty,  and  signs  of  wavering 
were  apparent  in  some  of  the  Middle  States.  Philadelphia 
was  threatened,  Newport  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
and  for  ninety  miles  Washington  had  retreated,  evading 
ruin  again  and  again  only  by  the  width  of  a  river.  Con- 
gress voted  not  to  leave  Philadelphia — a  fact  which  their 
General  declined  to  publish, — and  then  fled. 

No  one  remained  to  face  the  grim  realities  of  the  time 
but  Washington,  and  he  met  them  unmoved.  Not  a  mo- 
ment passed  that  he  did  not  seek  in  some  way  to  effect 
something.  Not  an  hour  went  by  that  he  did  not  turn 
calmly  from  fresh  and  ever  renewed  .  disappointment  to 
work  and  action. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I.  p.  171. 

The  Capture  of  General  Charles  Lee 

After  breakfast  Lee  sat  writing  a  reply  to  General 
Gates,  in  which,  as  usual,  he  indulged  in  sarcastic  comments 
on  the  commander-in -chief.  "The  ingenious  manoeuvre 


"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS"      303 

of  Fort  Washington,"  writes  he,  "has  completely  unhinged 
the  goodly  fabric  we  had  been  building.  There  never  was 
so  d — d  a  stroke ;  entre  nous,  a  certain  great  man  is  most 
damnably  deficient.  He  has  thrown  me  into  a  situation 
where  I  have  my  choice  of  difficulties:  if  I  stay  in  this 
province  I  risk  myself  and  army;  and  if  I  do  not  stay,  the 
province  is  lost  forever.  .  .  .  As  to  what  relates  to 
yourself,  if  you  think  you  can  be  in  time  to  aid  the  general, 
I  would  have  you  by  all  means  go ;  you  will  at  least  save 
your  army,"  etc. 

While  Lee  was  writing,  Wilkinson  was  looking  out  of 
a -window  down  a  lane,  about  a  hundred  yards  in  length, 
leading  from  the  house  to  the  main  road.  Suddenly  a 
party  of  British  dragoons  turned  a  corner  of  the  avenue  at 
a  full  charge. 

"Here,  sir,  are  the  British  cavalry!"  exclaimed  Wil- 
kinson. 

"Where?"  replied  Lee,  who  had  just  signed  his  letter. 

"Around  the  house!" — for  they  had  opened  file  and 
surrounded  it. 

"Where  is  the  guard?  D — the  guard,  why  don't  they 
fire?"  Then  after  a  momentary  pause — "Do,  sir,  see  what 
has  become  of  the  guard." 

The  guards,  alas,  unwary  as  their  general,  and  chilled 
by  the  air  of  a  frosty  morning,  had  stacked  their  arms,  and 
repaired  to  the  south  side  of  a  house  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  road  to  sun  themselves,  and  were  now  chased  by  the 
dragoons  in  different  directions.  In  fact,  a  Tory,  who  had 
visited  the  general  the  evening  before,  to  complain  of  the 
loss  of  a  horse  taken  by  the  army,  having  found  where  Lee 
was  to  lodge  and  breakfast,  had  ridden  eighteen  miles  in 
the  night  to  Brunswick  and  given  the  information,  and  had 
piloted  back  Colonel  Harcourt  with  his  dragoons. 

The  women  of  the  house  would  fain  have  concealed 
Lee  in  a  bed,  but  he  rejected  the  proposition  with  disdain. 
Wilkinson,  according  to  his  own  account,  posted  himself  in 


3o4  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

a  place  where  only  one  person  could  approach  at  a  time, 
and  there  took  his  stand,  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  resolved  to 
shoot  the  first  and  second  assailant,  and  then  appeal  to  his 
sword.  While  in  this  "unpleasant  situation,"  as  he  terms 
it,  he  heard  a  voice  declare,  "  If  the  general  does  not  sur- 
render in  five  minutes  I  will  set  fire  to  the  house!"  After 
a  short  pause  the  threat  was  repeated,  with  a  solemn  oath. 
Within  two  minutes  he  heard  it  proclaimed,  "  Here  is  the 
general,  he  has  surrendered." 

There  was  a  shout  of  triumph,  but  a  great  hurry  to 
make  sure  of  the  prize  before  the  army  should  arrive  to  the 
rescue.  A  trumpet  sounded  a  recall  to  the  dragoons,  who 
were  chasing  the  scattered  guards.  The  general,  bare- 
headed, and  in  his  slippers  and  blanket  coat,  was  mounted 
on  Wilkinson's  horse,  which  stood  at  the  door,  and  the 
troop  clattered  off  with  their  prisoner  to  Brunswick.  In 
three  hours  the  booming  of  cannon  in  that  direction  told  the 
exultation  of  the  enemy.  They  boasted  of  having  taken 
the  American  palladium ;  for  they  considered  Lee  the  most 
scientific  and  experienced  of  the  rebel  generals. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  531. 

"  By  His  Own  Folly  and  Imprudence" 

"Before  you  receive  this  letter,"  writes  Washington  to 
his  brother  Augustine,  "you  will  undoubtedly  have  heard 
of  the  captivity  of  General  Lee.  This  is  an  additional  mis- 
fortune ;  and  the  more  vexatious,  as  it  was  by  his  own 
folly  and  imprudence,  and  without  a  view  to  effect  any 
good  that  he  was  taken.  As  he  -went  to  lodge  three  miles 
out  of  his  own  camp,  and  within  twenty  miles  of  the  enemy, 
a  rascally  Tory  rode  in  the  night  to  give  notice  of  it  to  the 
enemy,  who  sent  a  party  of  light-horse  that  seized  him, 
and  carried  him  off  with  every  mark  of  triumph  and  in- 
dignity." 

This  is  the  severest  comment  that  the  magnanimous 
spirit  of  Washington  permitted  him  to  make  on  the  conduct 


"HURT  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS"      305 

and  fortunes  of  the  man  who  would  have  supplanted  him; 
and  this  is  made  in  his  private  correspondence  with  his 
brother.  No  harsh  strictures  on  them  appear  in  his  offi- 
cial letters  to  Congress  or  the  Board  of  War;  nothing  but 
regret  for  his  capture,  as  a  loss  to  the  service. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  538. 

A  View  of  the  Situation 

By  the  middle  of  December  Howe  felt  satisfied  that 
the  American  army  would  soon  dissolve,  and  leaving  strong 
detachments  in  various  posts  he  withdrew  to  New  York. 
His  premises  were  sound,  and  his  conclusions  logical,  but  he 
made  his  usual  mistake  of  overlooking  and  underestimat- 
ing the  American  general.  No  sooner  was  it  known  that 
he  was  on  his  way  to  New  York  than  Washington,  at  the 
head  of  his  dissolving  army,  resolved  to  take  the  offensive 
and  strike  an  outlying  post.  In  a  letter  of  December  i4th, 
the  day  after  Howe  began  to  move,  we  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  Trenton.  It  was  a  bold  spirit  that,  in  the  dead 
of  winter,  with  a  broken  army,  no  prospect  of  reinforce- 
ments, and  in  the  midst  of  a  terror-stricken  people,  could 
thus  resolve  with  some  four  thousand  men  to  attack  an 
army  thoroughly  appointed,  and  numbering  in  all  its  divis- 
ions twenty^five  thousand  soldiers. 

It  is  well  to  pause  a  moment  and  look  at  that  situation, 
and  at  the  overwhelming  difficulties  which  hemmed  it  in, 
and  then  try  to  realize  what  manner  of  man  he  was  who 
rose  superior  to  it,  and  conquered  it.  Be  it  remembered, 
too,  that  he  never  deceived  himself,  and  never  for  an  in- 
stant disguised  the  truth.  Two  years  later  he  wrote  that  at 
this  supreme  moment,  in  what  were  called  "the  dark  days 
of  America,"  he  was  never  despondent;  and  this  was  true 
enough,  for  despair  was  not  in  his  nature.  But  no  delu- 
sions lent  him  courage.  On  the  i8th  he  wrote  to  his 
brother  "that  if  every  nerve  was  not  strained  to  recruit 
this  new  army  the  game  was  pretty  nearly  up" ;  and  added, 


306  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"You  can  form  no  idea  of  the  perplexity  of  my  situation. 
No  man,  I  believe,  ever  had  a  greater  choice  of  difficulties, 
and  less  means  to  extricate  himself  from  them.  However, 
under  a  full  persuasion  of  the  justice  of  our  cause,  I  cannot 
entertain  an  idea  that  it  will  finally  sink,  though  it  may 
remain  for  some  time  under  a  cloud."  There  is  no  com- 
plaint, no  boasting,  no  despair  in  this  letter.  We  can 
detect  a  bitterness  in  the  references  to  Congress  and  to  Lee, 
but  the  tone  of  the  letter  is  as  calm  as  a  May  morning,  and 
it  concludes  with  sending  love  and  good  wishes  to  the 
writer's  sister  and  her  family. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  172. 

The  Most  Hopeless  Gang  of  Tramps 

Fortunately,  Major  Wilkinson,  of  the  detachment  sent 
from  the  north  by  Schuyler,  under  Gates,  to  re-enforce 
Washington,  had  stumbled  on  Lee  that  morning  while 
searching  for  Washington  to  obtain  orders  for  Gates. 
Wilkinson  avoided  capture,  informed  Sullivan,  now  senior 
officer  of  Lee's  corps,  and  then  rejoined  Gates;  both  gen- 
erals were  soon  afterward  on  their  way  to  Washington's 
camp,  which  they  reached  on  the  2oth  of  December. 

The  advent  of  these  troops  increased  the  available 
force  to  more  than  five  thousand  men;  but  ten  days  later 
three-fourths  of  them  would  be  out  of  service,  so  that 
Washington  would  have  only  about  fifteen  hundred  men, 
utterly  destitute,  with  whom  to  begin  the  campaign  of 
1777!  And  yet,  writing  to  his  brother  and  not  for  public 
effect  he  says,  "  Under  a  full  persuasion  of  the  justice  of  our 
cause,  I  cannot  entertain  an  idea  that  it  will  finally  sink, 
though  it  may  remain  for  some  time  under  a  cloud."  This 
would  be  fine  writing,  even  if  penned  at  a  comfortable 
library  table,  but  its  author  will  not  receive  full  credit  for 
it  unless  the  reader  comprehends  that  Washington  at  this 
time  was  chief  of  the  most  hopeless  gang  of  tramps  that 
ever  plodded  through  New  Jersey.  They  were  hungry 


"HURT  LV  THE  HOUSE  OF  HIS  FRIENDS"      307 

and  badly  clothed,  and  the  natives  not  only  failed  to  re- 
lieve their  necessities  but  were  glad  to  see  them  depart, 
while  close  behind  them  came  pursuers  far  worse  than  the 
farmers'  dogs  or  town  constables  that  sometimes  chase  the 
modern  tramp.  The  commander's  appeals  to  Congress  and 
the  country  for  aid  were  not  responded  to,  and  his  orders 
to  his  principal  lieutenant  were  not  obeyed.  The  per- 
plexities, humiliation,  and  helplessness  of  his  position  would 
have  justified  Washington  in  falling  back  upon  his  dignity 
and  Mount  Vernon;  but  his  letter  to  his  brother,  quoted 
above,  shows  that  he  was  satisfied  to  fall  back  upon  his 
principles. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  130. 

"For  Heaven's  Sake  Keep  This  to  Yourself!" 

"CAMP  ABOVE  TRENTON  FALLS, 

"Monday,  23d  December,  1776. 
"  To  Colonel  Cadwalader: 

"Christmas  day  at  night,  one  hour  before  day,  is  the 
time  fixed  for  our  attempt  on  Trenton.  For  Heaven's  sake 
keep  this  to  yourself,  as  the  discovery  of  it  may  prove  fatal 
to  us." 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Itinerary  of  George  Washington  from  June  15.  1775,  to  December  23,   1783,  William 
S.  Baker,  p.  63. 

"  What  a  Time  Is  This  to  Hand  Me  Letters !" 

We  have  here  some  circumstances  furnished  to  us  by 
the  memoirs  of  Wilkinson.  That  officer  had  returned  from 
Philadelphia,  and  brought  a  letter  from  Gates  to  Washing- 
ton. There  was  some  snow  on  the  ground,  and  he  had 
traced  the  march  of  the  troops  for  the  last  few  miles  by 
the  .blood  from  the  feet  of  those  whose  shoes  were  broken. 
Being  directed  to  Washington's  quarters,  he  found  him, 
he  says  alone,  with  his  whip  in  his  hand,  prepared  to  mount 
his  horse.  "  When  I  presented  the  letter  of  General  Gates 


3o8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

to  him,  before  receiving  it,  he  exclaimed  with  solemnity,— 
'  What  a  time  is  this  to  hand  me  letters ! '  I  answered  that 
I  had  been  charged  with  it  by  General  Gates.  '  By  Gen- 
eral Gates!  Where  is  he?'  'I  left  him  this  morning  in 
Philadelphia.'  '  What  was  he  doing  there? '  '  I  understood 
that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Congress.'  He  earnestly  re- 
peated, '  On  his  way  to  Congress ! '  then  broke  the  seal,  and 
I  made  my  bow,  and  joined  General  St.  Clair  on  the  bank 
of  the  river." 

Did  Washington  surmise  the  incipient  intrigues  and 
cabals,  that  were  already  aiming  to  undermine  him?  Had 
Gates's  eagerness  to  push  on  to  Congress,  instead  of  re- 
maining with  the  army  in  a  moment  of  daring  enterprise, 
suggested  any  doubts  as  to  his  object?  Perhaps  not. 
Washington's  nature  was  too  noble  to  be  suspicious;  and 
yet  he  had  received  sufficient  cause  to  be  distrustful. 

Life  of  George  Washington.  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II.  p.  550. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
TRENTON  AND  THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE 

"Advance  and  Charge !" 

As  the  army,  excepting  the  recruits  recently  obtained 
for  a  short  term,  would  practically  disband  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  Washington  determined  to  do  something  to  en- 
courage the  country  and  the  recruiting  service,  so  he 
planned  the  capture  of  three  regiments  of  Hessians  at 
Trenton.  A  concerted  movement  of  his  troops  failed,  as 
such  movements  usually  do.  The  detachment  which  he 
himself  accompanied  marched,  on  Christmas  afternoon, 
nine  miles  up  the  west  bank  of  the  Delaware,  through  the 
snow,  to  a  ferry  where  they  consumed  most  of  the  night  in 
crossing,  the  wind  being  high  and  the  river  full  of  ice.  An 
officer,  sent  by  Gates  from  Philadelphia  with  a  letter  to 
Washington,  tracked  the  little  force  by  the  blood,  dropped 
from  the  feet  of  badly  shod  men;  so,  taking  one  consider- 
ation with  another,  the  army  celebrated  Christmas  in  a 
manner  truly  unique. 

Delay  at  the  ferry  made  an  attack  before  daylight 
impossible,  and  a  heavy  storm  of  snow  and  sleet  rendered 
the  muskets  so  useless  that  Sullivan,  in  command  of  one 
of  the  two  columns  into  which  Washington  had  divided 
his  own  force,  sent  a  messenger  to  ask  what  he  should  do. 
"Advance  and  charge!"  said  Washington,  with  consider- 
able temper.  A  long  march  through  sleet  that  beats  in  the 
face  is  never  conducive  to  amiability;  Washington  and  his 
men  would  have  charged  that  morning  even  if  armed  only 
with  broomsticks,  and  they  would  have  conquered  too. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  132. 


710  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Colonel  Rahl's  Fatal  Game 

Meanwhile,  Washington  had  not  been  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing that  the  Hessians,  unsuspicious  of  peril,  would  be 
spending  the  hours  in  a  carousal.  Many  of  the  British 
light-horse  were  off  on  foraging  or  pillaging  expeditions, 
and  the  Germans  were  making  night  hideous  with  their 
songs  and  shouts  and  drinking  bouts.  Colonel  Rahl  him- 
self, the  commander  of  the  Hessians,  was  spending  the 
night  in  the  home  of  Abraham  Hunt,  a  man  who  had  deal- 
ings with  both  sides,  and  was  true  to  neither. 

On  this  particular  night,  Hunt  had  invited  Colonel 
Rahl  and  a  few  others  to  a  "Christmas  supper"  at  his 
house,  and  far  into  the  night  the  unsuspecting  officers  con- 
tinued their  card-playing  and  drinking.  Colonel  Rahl  was 
about  to  "deal,"  when  his  negro  servant,  against  express 
orders,  entered  the  room,  and  thrust  a  note  into  the  Hes- 
sian's hand,  explaining  that  the  man  who  had  brought  it 
had  first  begged  to  be  permitted  to  enter  himself,  but  had 
been  refused,  and  then  he  had  written  the  note  and  de- 
clared that  Colonel  Rahl  must  have  it  immediately,  as  it 
was  of  highest  importance.  If  the  colonel  had  known  that 
the  note  was  a  word  brought  by  a  Tory  who  had  discov- 
ered the  presence  of  the  advancing  American  army,  it  is 
more  than  likely  that  the  history  of  the  Revolution  would 
have  been  far  different  from  what  it  was.  However,  Col- 
onel Rahl  did  not  stop  his  game,  but  thrust  the  note  unread 
into  his  pocket,  and  so  never  knew  of  Washington's  ap- 
proach until  it  was  too  late  to  act.  Many  of  the  greatest 
events  in  history  have  turned  upon  a  pivot  no  larger  than 
the  negligence  of  the  Hessian  colonel. 

Meanwhile,  the  little  American  force  was  steadily  ap- 
proaching in  two  divisions;  one  led  by  Sullivan  along  the 
lower  road,  and  the  other  led  by  Greene  on  the  upper  road. 
With  their  bayonets  the  Americans  drove  back  the  startled 
outposts,  and  in  a  brief  time  the  cannon  had  been  so  planted 
that  the  streets  could  be  swept. 


THE    TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  311 

Colonel  Rahl;  who  at  last  had  realized  the  peril,  and 
rushed  forth  from  Hunt's  house  to  rally  his  men,  together 
with  sixteen  others,  had  been  shot;  and  almost  a  thousand 
of  the  hired  Hessians  were  speedily  prisoners  in  the  hands 
of  the  victorious  Americans. 

A  Short  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Everett  Tomlinson,  p.  141. 

"A  Smiling  Expression  on  His  Countenance" 

Although  Rahl,  the  Hessian  commander,  had  learned 
of  the  proposed  attack,  the  surprise  was  complete.  Wash- 
ington rode  at  the  head  of  the  column  which  approached 
from  the  north;  in  his  advance  guard  was  Lieutenant, 
afterward  President,  James  Monroe,  an  eighteen-year-old 
Virginia  boy,  who  grew  a  great  deal  that  morning.  Sulli- 
van following  the  river,  struck  the  town  on  its  western  side, 
and  sent  part  of  his  men  to  the  southern  end.  All  the  out- 
posts were  struck  at  once,  and  the  helplessness  of  the 
foreign  soldier  when  in  the  face  of  the  unexpected,  was  im- 
mediately manifested,  for  some  of  the  hungry,  tired,  ragged 
Americans  suddenly  saw  about  five  hundred  of  the  enemy, 
among  them  a  troop  of  the  terrible  British  cavalry,  actually 
running  away!  Rahl,  the  Hessian  commander,  although 
at  first  inclined  to  run,  rallied  most  of  the  troops  in  the 
town  and  showed  fight,  till  he  received  a  mortal  wound. 
Then  his  troops  suddenly  imagined  that  they  had  business 
in  Princeton;  but  finding  Hind's  riflemen,  now  veterans, 
in  their  way,  they  changed  their  minds  and  threw  down 
their  colors.  When  Washington's  attention  was  called  to 
this  fact,  he  was  so  astonished  that  he  started  alone  to  see; 
as  he  was  followed  by  his  entire  column,  the  Hessians 
grounded  their  arms  also,  and  the  amazed  Washington 
discovered  that  his  first  independent  engagement  had 
yielded  him  a  thousand  prisoners!  To  one  of  those  pris- 
oners the  world  owes  the  information  concerning  Wash- 
ington, that  "His  eyes  have  scarce  any  fire,"  which  is  not 
strange  for  eyes  that  had  just  gone  sleepless  for  a  night  and 


3i2  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

been  blinded  by  sleet  for  hours  afterward.  "There  is,  how- 
ever, a  smiling  expression  on  his  countenance  when  he 
speaks,  that  wins  affection  and  respect,"  says  the  honest 
Dutchman.  The  fact  that  Washington  could  smile,  is  one 
that  the  reader  can  not  keep  too  prominently  in  mind,  if 
he  would  regard  the  Father  of  his  Country  as  a  living  man 
instead  of  a  historic  mummy. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  133. 

Washington's  Report  of  the  Battle  of  Trenton 

"  (Letter  to  the  President  of  Congress.) 

"Head-Quarters,  Newtown, 

"27  December,  1776. 
"  SIR, 

"I  have  the  pleasure  of  congratulating  you  upon  the 
success  of  an  enterprise,  which  I  had  formed  against  a  de- 
tachment of  the  enemy  lying  in  Trenton,  and  which  was 
executed  yesterday  morning.  The  evening  of  the  25th  I 
ordered  the  troops  intended  for  this  service  to  parade 
back  of  McKonkey's  Ferry,  that  they  might  begin  to  pass 
as  soon  as  it  grew  dark,  imagining  we  should  be  able  to 
throw  them  all  over,  with  the  necessary  artillery,  by  twelve 
o'clock,  and  that  we  might  easily  arrive  at  Trenton  by  five 
in  the  morning,  the  distance  being  about  nine  miles.  But 
the  quantity  of  ice,  made  that  night,  impeded  the  passage 
of  the  boats  so  much,  that  it  was  three  o'clock  before  the 
artillery  could  all  be  got  over;  and  near  four,  before  the 
troops  took  up  their  line  of  march.  This  made  me  despair 
of  surprising  the  town,  as  I  well  knew  we  could  not  reach 
it  before  the  day  was  fairly  broke.  But  as  I  was  certain 
there  was  no  making  a  retreat  without  being  discovered 
and  harassed  on  repassing  the  river,  I  determined  to  push 
on  at  all  events.  I  formed  my  detachment  into  two  divis- 
ions, one  to  march  by  the  lower  or  river  road,  the  other  by 
the  upper  or  Pennington  road.  As  the  divisons  had  nearly 
the  same  distance  to  march,  I  ordered  each  of  them,  imme- 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  313 

diately  upon  forcing  the  outguards,  to  push  directly  into 
the  town,  that  they  might  charge  the  enemy  before  they 
had  time  to  form. 

"The  upper  division  arrived  at  the  enemy's  advanced 
posts  exactly  at  eight  o'clock;  and  in  three  minutes  after, 
I  found,  from  the  fire  on  the  lower  road,  that  the  other 
division  had  also  got  up.  The  outguards  made  but  small 
opposition,  though  for  their  numbers,  they  behaved  very 
well,  keeping  up  a  constant  retreating  fire  from  behind 
houses.  We  presently  saw  their  main  body  formed;  but, 
from  their  motions,  they  seemed  undetermined  how  to  act. 
Being  hard  pressed  by  our  troops,  who  had  already  got 
possession  of  their  artillery,  they  attempted  to  file  off  by  a 
road  on  their  right,  leading  to  Princeton.  But,  perceiving 
their  intention.  I  threw  a  body  of  troops  in  their  way,  which 
immediately  checked  them.  Finding  from  our  disposi- 
tion that  they  were  surrounded,  and  that  they  must  in- 
evitably be  cut  to  pieces  if  they  made  any  further  resist- 
ance, they  agreed  to  lay  down  their  arms.  The  number 
that  submitted  in  this  manner  was  twenty-three  officers 
and  eight  hundred  and  eighty-six  men.  Colonel  Rahl,  the 
commanding  officer,  and  seven  others  were  found  wounded 
in  the  town.  I  do  not  exactly  know  how  many  were  killed, 
but  I  fancy  not  above  twenty  or  thirty,  as  they  never  made 
any  regular  stand.  Our  loss  is  very  trifling  indeed,  only 
two  officers  and  one  or  two  privates  wounded. 

"  I  am  fully  confident,  that,  could  the  troops  under 
Generals  Ewing  and  Cadwalader  have  passed  the  river,  I 
should  have  been  able  with  their  assistance  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  all  their  posts  below  Trenton.  But  the  num- 
bers I  had  with  me  being  inferior  to  theirs  below  me,  and  a 
strong  battalion  of  light  infantry  being  at  Princeton  above 
me,  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  return  the  same  evening 
with  the  prisoners  and  the  artillery  we  had  taken.  We 
found  no  stores  of  any  consequence  in  the  town. 

"  In  justice  to  the  officers  and  men,  I  must  add,  that 


3 14  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

their  behavior  on  this  occasion  reflects  the  highest  honor 
upon  them.  The  difficulty  of  passing  the  river  in  a  very 
severe  night,  and  their  march  through  a  violent  storm  of 
snow  and  hail,  did  not  in  the  least  abate  their  ardor;  but, 
when  they  came  to  the  charge,  each  seemed  to  vie  with  the 
others  in  pressing  forward ;  and  were  I  to  give  a  preference 
to  any  particular  corps,  I  should  do  great  injustice  to  the 
others.  Colonel  Baylor,  my  first  aide-de-camp,  will  have 
the  honor  of  delivering  this  to  you ;  and  from  him  you  may 
be  made  acquainted  with  many  other  particulars.  His 
spirited  behavior  upon  every  occasion  requires  me  to 
recommend  him  to  your  particular  notice.  I  have  the 
honor  to  be,"  etc. 

[G.    WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  80. 


Raising  of  "  United  Colonies  "  flag January  i,  1776 

Thomas    Paine's    "Common    Sense"   published, 

January  5,  1776 

Evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British March  17,  1776 

British  repulsed  at  Fort  Moultrie June  28,  1776 

Declaration  of  Independence  signed July  4,  I77& 

Battle  of  Long  Island August  27,  1776 

Battle  of  White  Plains October  28,  1776 

Fort  Washington  taken  by  the  British, November  16,  1776 
Washington  crossed  the  Delaware  and  took  Trenton, 

December  26,  1776 


"George  Will  Not  Forget  Himself" 

[At  Fredericksburg]  the  matron  remained  during  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  trying  period  of  the  Revolution.  Directly 
in  the  way  of  the  news,  as  it  passed  from  north  to  south,  one 
courier  would  bring  intelligence  of  success  to  our  arms,  an- 
other "swiftly  coursing  at  his  heels,"  the  saddening  tale  of 


THE    TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  315 

disaster  and  defeat.  While  thus  ebbed  and  flowed  the  for- 
tunes of  our  cause,  the  mother,  trusting  to  the  wisdom  and 
protection  of  Divine  Providence,  preserved  the  even  tenor 
of  her  life,  affording  an  example  to  those  matrons  whose 
sons  were  alike  engaged  in  the  arduous  contest;  and  show- 
ing that  unavailing  anxieties,  however  belonging  to  human 
nature,  were  unworthy  of  mothers  whose  sons  were  com- 
bating for  the  inestimable  rights  of  mankind,  and  the  free- 
dom and  happiness  of  unborn  ages. 

When  the  comforting  and  glorious  intelligence  arrived 
of  the  passage  of  the  Delaware,  an  event  which  restored  our 
hopes  from  the  very  brink  of  despair,  a  number  of  her 
friends  waited  upon  the  mother  with  congratulations.  She 
received  them  with  calmness;  observed  that  it  was  most 
pleasurable  news,  and  that  George  appeared  to  have  de- 
served well  of  his  country  for  such  signal  service ;  and  con- 
tinued, in  reply  to  the  gratulating  patriots  (most  of  whom 
held  letters  in  their  hands,  from  which  they  read  extracts, 
for  gazettes  were  not  so  plenty  then  as  now),  "but,  my 
good  sirs,  here  is  too  much  flattery;  still  George  will  not 
forget  the  lessons  I  early  taught  him — he  will  not  forget 
himself,  though  he  is  the  subject  of  so  much  praise." 

Here  I  will  speak  of  the  absurdity  of  an  idea  which, 
from  some  strange  cause  or  other,  has  been  suggested, 
though  certainly  never  believed,  that  the  mother  of  Wash- 
ington was  disposed  to  favor  the  royal  cause.  Not  the 
slightest  foundation  has  such  a  surmise  in  truth.  Like 
many  others,  whose  days  of  enthusiasm  were  in  the  wane, 
that  lady  doubted  the  prospects  of  success  in  the  outset  of 
the  war,  and  long  during  its  continuance  feared  that  our 
means  would  be  found  inadequate  to  a  successful  contest 
with  so  formidable  a  power  as  Britain;  and  that  our  sol- 
diers, brave,  but  undisciplined  and  ill  provided,  would  be 
unequal  to  cope  with  the  veteran  and  well-appointed  troops 
of  the  king.  Doubts  like  these  were  by  no  means  confined 
to  this  Virginian  matron,  but  were  both  entertained  and 

1-22 


316  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

expressed  by  the  stanchest  of  patriots  and  the  most  deter- 
mined of  men. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  136. 

"Intrusted  with  Almost  Unlimited  Power " 

At  this  critical  moment,  too,  Washington  received  a 
letter  from  a  committee  of  Congress,  transmitting  him 
resolves  of  this  body,  dated  the  27th  of  December,  investing 
him  with  military  powers  quite  dictatorial.  "  Happy  is  it 
for  this  country,"  write  the  committee,  "that  the  general 
of  their  forces  can  safely  be  intrusted  with  the  most  un- 
limited power,  and  neither  personal  security,  liberty,  nor 
property,  be  in  the  least  degree  endangered  thereby. " 

Washington's  acknowledgment  of  this  great  mark  of 
confidence  was  noble  and  characteristic.  "  I  find  Congress 
have  done  me  the  honor  to  intrust  me  with  powers,  in  my 
military  capacity,  of  the  highest  nature  and  almost  unlimited 
extent.  Instead  of  thinking  myself  freed  from  all  civil 
obligations  by  this  mark  of  their  confidence,  I  shall  con- 
stantly bear  in  mind  that,  as  the  sword  was  the  last  resort 
for  the  preservation  of  our  liberties,  so  it  ought  to  be  the 
first  thing  laid  aside  when  those  liberties  are  firmly  estab- 
lished." *' 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  II,  p.  574. 

Robert  Morris  Raises  Some  "  Hard  Money  " 

Inspirited  by  his  success  at  Trenton,  the  panic  of  the 
enemy,  and  their  retirement  from  the  Delaware,  his  army 
strengthened  by  new  recruits  and  the  junction  of  the 
militia  who  had  guarded  the  power  posts  of  the  river, 
Washington  determined  to  recross  the  Delaware  and 
occupy  Trenton,  and  then  make  such  offensive  movements 
against  the  British  as  prudence  should  dictate.  This  he 
accomplished  on  the  3oth.  The  term  of  service  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  Eastern  militia  was  now  about  expiring. 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  317 

He  prevailed  on  them  to  remain  six  weeks  longer,  by 
promising  to  each  soldier  a  bounty  of  ten  dollars.  The 
military  chest  was  not  in  condition  to  perrnit^him  to  fulfil 
his  promise,  and  he  wrote  to  Robert  Morris,  the  great 
patriot  financier  of  the  Revolution,  for  aid,  pleading  the 
urgent  necessity  of  the  case.  It  was  necessary  to  have 
hard  money  and  the  sum  was  large.  The  requirement 
seemed  almost  impossible  to  meet.  Government  credit 
was  low,  but  confidence  in  Robert  Morris  was  unbounded. 
In  a  desponding  state,  unusual  for  him,  Morris  left  his 
counting-room  at  a  late  hour,  musing  upon  the  probabilities 
of  meeting  the  demand.  On  the  way  he  met  a  wealthy 
Quaker,  and  made  known  his  wants. 

"Robert,  what  security  canst  thou  give?"  asked  the 
Quaker. 

"My  note,  and  my  honor,"  promptly  replied  Morris. 

"Thou  shalt  have  it,"  Was  the  answer,  and  the  next 
morning  Robert  Morris  wrote  to  Washington: 

"I  was  up  early  this  morning  to  dispatch  a  supply  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars  to  your  excellency.  It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  that  you  have  engaged  the  troops  to  continue; 
and  if  further  occasional  supplies  of  money  are  necessary, 
you  may  depend  on  my  exertions  either  in  a  public  or 
private  capacity." 

The  Pictorial  Field-Book  of  the  Revolution,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  Vol.  II,  p.  35. 

Horse  Lovers  and  Heroes 

"  My  father  was  Washington's  confidential  courier  and 
I  have  often  heard  him  tell  of  a  call  made  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  on  Mr.  Morris  at  a  very  critical  time,  and 
how  nobly  it  was  responded  to. 

"The  army  was  encamped  near  Trenton,  and  was 
nearly  out  of  supplies,  and  quite  out  of  money. 

"One  morning  my  father  was  summoned  to  Washing- 
ton's tent,  and  the  General  said  to  him:  'Gray,  in  how 
short  a  time  could  you  ride  down  to  Philadelphia?  I 


3i8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

want  you  to  take  a  letter  to  Mr.  Robert  Morris,  and  there 
is  the  utmost  need  for  dispatch.' 

"  My  father  named  the  shortest  time  possible  for  mak- 
ing the  journey  with  a  fleet  horse. 

'"Then  just  take  the  best  horse  in  the  army,  and  set 
off  at  once  with  this  letter,'  said  Washington. 

'"Well,  General,'  said  my  father,  'the  best  horse  I 
know  of  in  the  army  is  your  chestnut  sorrel.' 

"  He  did  not  expect  that  Washington  would  allow  him 
to  take  that  horse,  for  it  was  his  favorite,  but  he  said  at 
once:  'Take  him.'  And  my  father  rode  him  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  made  good  time  with  him. 

"When  Robert  Morris  read  the  letter,  he  asked :  ' How 
soon  can  you  start  for  Trenton  with  my  reply  to  General 
Washington,  Mr.  Gray?' 

"As  soon,  sir,  as  I  can  get  a  fresh  horse,'  said  my 
father.  'It  won't  do  to  ride  back  General  Washington's 
chestnut  sorrel.' 

"Of  course  not,'  said  Mr.  Morris.  'Go  to  my  stable, 
and  take  the  best  horse  you  can  find.  I  am  in  haste  to 
assure  General  Washington  that  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  meet 
his  wishes.'" 

What  example,  I  ask,  of  Roman  patriotism,  can  sur- 
pass that  of  these  two  modern  heroes  and  horse  lovers? 

Mr.  Gray  continued : 

"My  father  got  safely  back  to  headquarters  with  the 
reply  of  Mr.  Morris.  He  said  Washington's  face  lighted  up 
when  he  read  it;  but  he  must  have  known  pretty  much 
what  it  would  be,  for  he  had  everything  ready  for  march- 
ing, and  in  five  minutes  the  drums  beat  and  the  bugle 
sounded,  and  the  whole  army  was  in  motion.  You  see,  he 
had  written  to  Morris  to  supply  money  and  provisions,  and 
Morris  had  consented,  and  set  to  work  with  all  his  energy. 
The  morning  after  my  father's  hurried  visit  to  Philadelphia, 
my  mother  returned  from  market,  at  about  six  o'clock, 
saying: 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  319 

"'It's  well  I  went  so  early!  If  I  had  been  a  half-hour 
later,  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  get  a  pound  of  beef  or 
bacon.  Robert  Morris  is  sending  his  men  all  about  to  buy 
up  provisions  for  the  army." 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  23. 

"  The  Old  Fox  "  and  the  Battle  of  Princeton 

.Cornwallis,  leaving  part  of  his  force  at  Princeton,  New 
Jersey,  hurried  south  to  catch  Washington.  He  found  him 
between  Trenton  and  a  bend  of  the  Delaware.  That  night 
the  British  general  went  to  sleep,  certain  that  Washington 
could  not  get  away.  For  how  could  he  hope  to  escape,  with 
the  British  army  in  front  and  the  broad  deep  Delaware 
River  full  of  floating  ice  behind  him?  Cornwallis  told  his 
brother  officers  that  they  would  "bag  the  old  fox"  in  the 
morning.  While  the  British  general  lay  dreaming,  Wash- 
ington like  an  "old  fox"  crept  stealthily 'around  him,  and 
got  to  Princeton.  In  the  battle  there  (January  3,  1777), 
the  American  advance  force  was  driven  back.  Just  then 
Washington  came  up.  He  saw  that,  if  beaten,  our  army 
would  be  lost.  Calling  his  troops  to  follow  him,  he  rode 
within  thirty  yards  of  the  British  force,  and  stood  facing 
the  foe,  exposed  to  the  fire  of  both  sides.  For  some  mo- 
ments he  was  completely  hidden  from  sight  by  the  smoke  of 
battle. 

The  Leading  Facts  of  American  History,  D.  H.  Montgomery,  p.  1 74. 

"Thank  God !  Your  Excellency  Is  Safe !" 

The  heroism  of  Washington  on  the  field  of  Princeton 
is  a  matter  of  history.  We  have  often  enjoyed  a  touching 
reminiscence  of  that  ever-memorable  event  from  the  late 
Colonel  Fitzgerald,  who  was  aide  to  the  chief,  and  who  never 
related  the  story  of  his  general's  danger  and  almost  miracu- 
lous preservation,  without  adding  to  his  tale  the  homage 
of  a  tear. 


32o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  aide-de-camp  had  been  ordered  to  bring  up  the 
troops  from  the  rear  of  the  column,  when  the  band  under 
General  Mercer  became  engaged.  Upon  returning  to  the 
spot  where  he  had  left  the  commander-in-chief,  he  was  no 
longer  there,  and,  upon  looking  around,  the  aide  discovered 
him  endeavoring  to  rally  the  line  which  had  been  thrown 
into  disorder  by  a  rapid  onset  of  the  foe.  Washington, 
after  several  ineffectual  efforts  to  restore  the  fortunes  of  the 
fight,  is  seen  to  rein  up  his  horse,  with  his  head  to  the  enemy, 
and  in  that  position  to  become  immovable.  It  was  a  last 
appeal  to  his  soldiers,  and  seemed  to  say,  Will  you  give  up 
your  general  to  the  foe?  Such  an  appeal  was  not  made  in 
vain.  The  discomfited  Americans  rally  on  the  instant, 
and  form  into  line;  the  enemy  halt,  and  dress  their  line; 
the  American  chief  is  between  the  adverse  posts,  as  though 
ne  had  been  placed  there,  a  target  for  both.  The  arms  of 
both  lines  are  levelled.  Can  escape  from  death  be  possible? 
Fitzgerald,  horror-struck  at  the  danger  of  his  beloved 
commander,  dropped  the  reins  upon  his  horse's  neck,  and 
drew  his  hat  over  his  face,  that  he  might  not  see  him  die. 
A  roar  of  musketry  succeeded,  and  then  a  shout.  It  is  the 
shout  of  victory.  The  aide-de-camp  ventures  to  raise  his 
eyes,  and  O,  glorious  sight !  the  enemy  are  broken  and  flying, 
while  dimly  amidst  the  glimpses  of  smoke  is  seen  the  chief, 
"alive,  unharmed,  and  without  a  wound, "  waving  his  hat, 
and  cheering  his  comrades  to  the  pursuit. 

Colonel  Fitzgerald,  celebrated  as  one  of  the  finest  horse- 
men of  the  American  army,  now  dashed  his  rowels  in  his 
charger's  flanks,  and,  heedless  of  the  dead  and  dying  in  his 
way,  flew  to  the  side  of  his  chief,  exclaiming,  "Thank  God! 
your  excellency  is  safe!"  The  favorite  aide,  a  gallant  and 
warm-hearted  son  of  Erin,  a  man  of  thews  and  sinews,  and 
"albeit  unused  to  the  melting  mood, "  now  gave  loose  rein 
to  his  feelings,  and  wept  like  a  child,  for  joy. 

Washington,  ever  calm  amid  scenes  of  greatest  excite- 
ment, affectionately  grasped  the  hand  of  his  aide  and  friend. 


From   the  Original  by   Chappel. 


"THE  DAY  IS  OUR  OWN!" 
Battle  of   Princeton,   January  3,    1777. 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  321 

and  then  ordered — "Away,  my  dear  colonel,  and  bring  up 
the   troops— the   day  is   our   own!" 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  19°- 

Washington's  Report  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton 

(Letter  to  the  President  of  Congress.) 

"  Pluckemin,  5  January,  1777. 

"SIR, 

"I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that,  since  the 
date  of  my  last  from  Trenton,  I  have  removed  with  the 
army  under  my  command  to  this  place.  The  difficulty 
of  crossing  the  Delaware,  on  account  of  the  ice  made  our 
passage  over  it  tedious,  and  gave  the  enemy  opportunity 
of  drawing  in  their  several  cantonments,  and  assembling 
their  whole  force  at  Princeton.  Their  large  pickets  advanced 
towards  Trenton,  their  great  preparations,  and  some  intel- 
ligence I  had  received,  added  to  their  knowledge,  that  the 
ist  of  January  brought  on  a  dissolution  of  the  best  part  of 
our  army,  gave  me  the  strongest  reasons  to  conclude,  tfrat 
an  attack  upon  us  was  meditating. 

"Our  situation  was  most  critical,  and  our  force  small. 
To  remove  immediately  was  again  destroying  every  dawn 
of  hope,  which  had  begun  to  revive  the  breasts  of  the  Jersey 
militia ;  and  to  bring  .  .  troops,  .  .  .  (amount- 
ing in  the  whole  to  about  three  thousand  six  hundred)  to 
Trenton,  was  to  bring  them  to  an  exposed  place.  One  or 
the  other,  however,  was  unavoidable.  The  latter  was 
preferred,  and  they  were  ordered  to  join  us  at  Trenton, 
which  they  did,  by  a  night-march,  on  the  ist  instant.  On 
the  and,  according  to  my  expectation,  the  enemy  began  to 
advance  upon  us ;  and,  after  some  skirmishing,  the  head 
of  their  column  reached  Trenton  about  four  o'clock,  whilst 
their  rear  was  as  far  back  as  Maidenhead.  They  attempted 
to  pass  Sanpink  Creek,  which  runs  through  Trenton,  at 


322  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

different  places;  but,  finding  the  fords  guarded,  they  halted, 
and  kindled  their  fires.  We  were  drawn  up  on  the  other 
side  of  the  creek.  In  this  situation  we  remained  until  dark, 
cannonading  the  enemy,  and  receiving  the  fire  of  their 
field-pieces,  which  did  us  but  little  damage. 

"Having  by  this  time  discovered,  that  the  enemy  were 
greatly  superior  in  number,  and  that  their  design  was  to 
surround  us,  I  ordered  all  our  baggage  to  be  removed  silently 
to  Burlington  soon  after  dark;  and  at  twelve  o'clock  after 
renewing  our  fires,  and  leaving  guards  at  the  bridge  in  Tren- 
ton, and  other  passes  on  the  same  stream  above,  marched 
by  a  roundabout  road  to  Princeton,  where  I  knew  they 
could  not  have  much  force  left,  and  might  have  stores.  One 
thing  I  was  certain  of,  that  it  would  avoid  the  appearance 
of  a  retreat  (which  was  of  consequence,  or  to  run  the  hazard 
of  the  whole  army  being  cut  off),  whilst  we  might  by  a 
fortunate  stroke  withdraw  General  Howe  from  Trenton, 
and  give  some  reputation  to  our  arms.  Happily  we  suc- 
ceeded. We  found  Princeton  about  sunrise,  with  only 
three  regiments  and  three  troops  of  light-horse,  two  of 
which  were  on  their  march  to  Trenton.  These  three  regi- 
ments, especially  the  two  first,  made  a  gallant  resistance, 
and,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  must  have  lost  five 
hundred  men;  upwards  of  one  hundred  of  them  were  left 
dead  on  the  field ;  and,  with  what  I  have  with  me  and  what 
were  taken  in  the  pursuit  and  carried  across  the  Delaware, 
there  are  near  three  hundred  prisoners,  fourteen  of  whom 
ar°  officers,  all  British. 

"This  piece  of  good  fortune  is  counterbalanced  by  the 
loss  of  the  brave  and  worthy  General  Mercer. 

"  From  the  best  information  I  have  received,  General 
Howe  has  left  no  men  either  at  Trenton  or  Princeton.  The 
truth  of  this  I  am  endeavoring  to  ascertain,  that  I  may 
regulate  my  movements  accordingly.  The  militia  are  fast 
taking  spirit,  and,  I  am  told,  are>-  coming  in  fast  from  this 
State;  but  I  fear  those  from  Philadelphia  will  scarcely 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  323 

submit  to  the  hardships  of  a  winter  campaign  much  longer, 
especially  as  they  very  unluckily  sent  their  blankets  with 
their  baggage  to  Burlington.  I  must  do  them  the  justice 
however  to  add,  that  they  have  undergone  more  fatigue 
and  hardship,  than  I  expected  militia,  especially  citizens, 
would  have  done  at  this  inclement  season.  I  am  just  mov- 
ing to  Morristown,  where  I  shall  endeavor  to  put  them 
under  the  best  cover  I  can.  Hitherto  we  have  been  without 
any;  and  many  of  our  poor  soldiers  quite  barefoot,  and  ill 
clad  in  other  respects.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,"  etc., 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  84. 

Troubles  about  Allegiance  and  Rank 

In  January  Washington  issued  a  proclamation  requir- 
ing those  inhabitants  who  had  subscribed  to  Howe's  declara- 
tion to  come  in  within  thirty  days  and  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  United  States.  If  they  failed  to  do  so  they 
were  to  be  treated  as  enemies.  The  measure  was  an  emi- 
nently proper  one,  and  the 'proclamation  was  couched  in 
the  most  moderate  language.  It  was  impossible  to  permit 
a  large  class  of  persons  to  exist  on  the  theory  that  they  were 
peaceful  American  citizens  and  also  subjects  of  King  George. 
The  results  of  such  conduct  were  in  every  "way  perilous  and 
intolerable,  and  Washington  was  determined  that  he  would 
divide  the  sheep  from  the  goats,  and  know  whom  he  was 
defending  and  whom  attacking.  Yet  for  this  wise  and 
necessary  action  he  was  called  in  question  in  Congress  and 
accused  of  violating  civil  rights  and  the  resolves  of  Congress. 
Nothing  was  actually  done  about  it,  but  such  an  incident 
shows  from  a  single  point  the  infinite  tact  and  resolution 
required  in  waging  war  under  a  government  whose  members 
were  unable  to  comprehend  what  was  meant,  and  who  could 
not  see  that  until  they  had  beaten  England  it  was  hardly 
worth  while  to  worry  about  civil  rights,  which  in  case  of 
defeat  would  speedily  cease  to  exist  altogether. 


324  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Another  fertile  source  of  trouble  arose  from  questions 
of  rank.  Members  of  Congress  in  making  promotions  and 
appointments,  were  more  apt  to  consider  local  claims  than 
military  merit,  and  they  also  allowed  their  own  personal 
prejudices  to  affect  their  action  in  this  respect  far  too  much. 
Thence  arose  endless  heart-burnings  and  jealousies,  followed 
by  resignations  and  the  loss  of  valuable  officers.  Congress, 
having  made  the  appointments,  would  go  cheerfully  about 
its  business,  while  the  swarm  of  grievances  thus  let  loose 
would  come  buzzing  about  the  devoted  head  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief.  He  could  not  get  away,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  quiet  rivalries,  allay  irritated  feelings,  and  ride 
the  storm  as  best  he  might.  It  was  all  done,  however,  in 
one  way  or  another;  by  personal  appeals,  and  by  letters 
full  of  dignity,  patriotism,  and  patience,  which  are  very 
impressive  and  full  of  meaning  for  students  of  character, 
even  in  this  day  and  generation. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge   Vol.  I,  p.  183. 

Washington's  Proclamation 

"Whereas,  several  persons,  inhabitants  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  influenced  by  inimical  motives,  intim- 
idated by  the  threats  of  the  enemy,  or  deluded  by  a  procla- 
mation issued  the'3oth  of  November  last,  by  Lord  and  Gen- 
eral Howe,  styled  the  King's  commissioners  for  granting 
pardons,  etc.  (now  at  open  war  and  invading  these  States), 
have  been  so  lost  to  the  interest  and  welfare  of  their  country, 
as  to  repair  to  the  enemy,  sign  a  declaration  of  fidelity,  and 
in  some  cases  have  been  compelled  to  take  the  oaths  of 
allegiance,  and  engage  not  to  take  up  arms,  or  encourage 
others  to  do  so,  against  the  king  of  Great  Britain.  And, 
whereas,  it  has  become  necessary  to  distinguish  between  the 
friends  of  America  and  those  of  Great  Britain,  inhabitants 
of  these  States,  and  that  every  man  who  receives  protection 
from,  and  is  a  subject  of  any  State  (not  being  conscientiously 
scrupulous  against  bearing  arms),  should  stand  ready  to 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  325 

defend  the  same  against  hostile  invasion:  I  do,  therefore, 
in  behalf  of  the  United  States,  by  virtue  of  powers  commit- 
ted to  me  by  Congress,  hereby  strictly  command  and  require 
every  person,  having  subscribed  such  declaration,  taken  such 
oaths,  and  accepted  such  protection  and  certificate,  to 
repair  to  headquarters,  or  to  the  quarters  of  the  nearest 
general  offices  of  the  Continental  army  or  militia  (until 
further  provision  can  be  made  by  civil  authority) ,  and  there 
deliver  up  such  protection,  certificate,  and  passports,  and 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  of  America ; 
nevertheless,  hereby  granting  full  liberty  to  all  such  as  prefer 
the  interest  and  protection  of  Great  Britain  to  the  freedom 
and  happiness  of  their  country,  forthwith  to  withdraw  them- 
selves and  families  within  the  enemies'  lines.  And  I  do 
hereby  declare,  that  all  and  every  person  who  may  refuse  to 
comply  with  this  order,  within  thirty  days  from  the  date 
hereof,  will  be  deemed  adherents  to  the  king  of  Great  Britain 
and  treated  as  common  enemies  of  these  American  States." 

Broadside  distributed  in  New  Jersey,  1776-7. 

A  Sarcastic  Reply  to  the  Howes'  Proclamation  of  Pardon 

"Messrs.  Howe:  We  have  seen  your  proclamation 
and  as  it  is  a  great  curiosity  think  it  deserves  some  notice, 
and  lest  no  one  else  should  deign  to  notice  it,  will  make  a 
few  remarks  upon  what  was  designed  for  public  benefit. 
In  this  rarity  we  see  slaves  offering  liberty  to  free  Americans ; 
thieves  and  robbers  offer  to  secure  our  rights  and  property ; 
murderers  offer  us  pardon ;  a  perjured  tyrant  by  the  mouths 
of  two  of  his  hireling  butchers,  'commands'  all  the  civil  and 
military  powers,  in  these  independent  States  to  resign  all 
pretensions  to  authority,  and  to  acknowledge  subjection 
to  a  foreign  despot,  even  his  mock  majesty,  now  reeking 
with  blood  and  murder.  This  is  truly  a  curiosity,  and  is  a 
compound  of  the  most  consummate  arrogance  and  the  folly 
of  the  cloven-footed  spawn  of  despairing  wretches,  who  are 
laboring  to  complete  the  works  of  tyranny  and  death.  It 


326  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

would  be  far  less  wicked  and  not  quite  so  stupid  for  the 
Grand  Turk  to  send  two  of  his  slaves  into  Britain  to  command 
all  Britains  to  acknowledge  themselves  slaves  of  the  Turks, 
offering  to  secure  their  rights  and  property,  and  to  pardon 
such  as  had  borne  arms  against  his  Sublime  Highness, 
upon  condition  of  their  making  peace  within  'sixty  days. ' 

"  Messieurs  Howe  and  W.  Howe,  pray  read  your  proc- 
lamation once  more,  and  consider  how  modest  you  appear; 
and  reflect  on  the  infinite  contempt  with  which  you  are 
viewed  by  the  Americans,  and  remember  the  meanest 
freeman  scorns  the  highest  slave." 

Broadside  scattered  in  New  Jersey  in  the  winter  of  1776-7 

Washington  Had  Taken  Howe's  Measure 

Howe,  with  his  army  of  28,000,  now  quietly  allowed 
Washington  to  reconquer  New  Jersey  with  5000.  After 
the  battle  of  Princeton,  Cornwallis  abandoned  Trenton, 
Bordentown,  and  Princeton,  removed  all  the  British  troops 
from  them,  and  quietly  returned  to  New  Brunswick.  Wash- 
ington found  that  there  would  be  too  much  risk  in  attacking 
New  Brunswick  immediately  after  Princeton,  so  he  passed 
on  northward  into  the  heart  of  New  Jersey,  and  took  up  a 
strong  position  at  Morristown  Heights,  west  of  New  York, 
and  half-way  between  New  York  and  the  Delaware.  Put- 
nam came  from  Philadelphia  with  a  few  troops  and  occupied 
Princeton,  and  Heath  had  a  few  more  on  the  Hudson.  In 
other  words,  Washington,  with  scarcely  10,000  men,  made 
a  line  of  cantonments  through  New  Jersey  and  held  it  with- 
out opposition  from  Howe's  28,000  all  that  winter  and  the 
following  spring  until  June,  1777. 

He  was  constantly  picking  off  stragglers  from  the  British 
posts  at  New  Brunswick  and  Amboy,  and,  as  Gallaway 
remarked,  killed  more  regulars  in  that  way  than  Howe  would 
have  lost  by  surrounding  and  defeating  or  starving  him  out 
at  Morristown.  In  March  Washington's  force  had  sunk 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE  327 

to  less  than  3000  effectives,  and   yet  he  remained  undis- 
turbed by  the  vast  force  in  New  York. 

Washington  had  taken  Howe's  measure.  For  the  rest 
of  the  British  general's  year  and  a  half  in  America,  the  patriot 
general,  no  matter  how  low  his  force  dwindled,  always 
remained  encamped  within  a  few  miles  of  the  vast  hosts  of 
his  Whig  antagonist  undisturbed  and  unpursued.  There 
was  no  need  of  retreating  among  the  Indians  and  buffalo  of 
the  West. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  328, 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
BRANDYWINE  AND  GERMANTOWN 
Waiting  at  Morristown 

After  the  "two  lucky  strokes  at  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton," as  he  himself  called  them,  Washington  took  up  a 
strong  position  at  Morristown  and  waited.  His  plan  was 
to  hold  the  enemy  in  check,  and  to  delay  all  operations  until 
spring.  It  is  easy  enough  now  to  state  his  purpose,  and  it 
looks  very  simple,  but  it  was  a  grim  task  to  carry  it  out 
through  the  bleak  winter  days  of  1 7  7  7 .  The  Jersey  farmers, 
spurred  by  the  sufferings  inflicted  upon  them  by  the  British 
troops,  had  turned  out  at  last  in  deference  to  Washington's 
appeals,  after  the  victories  of  Trenton  and  Princeton,  had 
harassed  and  cut  off  outlying  parties,  and  had  thus 
straitened  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  But  the  main 
army  of  the  colonies,  on  which  all  depended,  was  in  a  pitiable 
state.  It  shifted  its  character  almost  from  day  to  day. 
The  curse  of  short  enlistments,  so  denounced  by  Washington, 
made  itself  felt  now  with  frightful  effect.  With  the  new 
year  most  of  the  continental  troops  departed,  while  others 
to  replace  them  came  in  very  slowly,  and  recruiting  dragged 
most  wearisomely.  Washington  was  thus  obliged,  with 
temporary  reinforcements  of  raw  militia,  to  keep  up  appear- 
ances ;  and  no  commander  ever  struggled  with  a  more  trying 
task.  At  times  it  looked  as  if  the  whole  army  would  actually 
disappear,  and  more  than  once  Washington  expected  that 
the  week's  or  the  month's  end  would  find  him  with  not  more 
than  five  hundred  men.  At  the,  beginning  of  March  he  had 
about  four  thousand  men,  a  few  weeks  later  only  three 
thousand  raw  troops,  ill-fed,  ill-clad,  ill-shod,  ill-armed,  and 
almost  unpaid.  Over  against  him  was  Howe,  with  eleven 

(328) 


BRANDYWINE  AND  GERMANTOWN  329 

thousand  men  in  the  field,  and  still  more  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  well  disciplined  and  equipped,  well-armed,  well-fed, 
and  furnished  with  every  needful  supply.  The  contrast  is 
absolutely  grotesque,  and  yet  the  force  of  one  man's  genius 
and  will  was  such  that  this  excellent  British  army  was  hem- 
med in  and  kept  in  harmless  quiet  by  their  ragged  opponents. 
Washington's  plan,  from  the  first,  was  to  keep  the  field 
at  all  hazards,  and  literally  at  all  hazards  did  he  do  so. 
Right  and  left  his  letters  went,  day  after  day,  calling  with 
pathetic  but  dignified  earnestness  for  men  and  supplies. 
In  one  of  these  epistles,  to  Governor  Cooke  of  Rhode  Island, 
written  in  January,  to  remonstrate  against  raising  troops 
for  the  State  only,  he  set  forth  his  intentions  in  a  few  words. 
"You  must  be  sensible,"  he  said,  "that  the  season  is  fast 
approaching  when  a  new  campaign  will  open ;  nay,  the 
former  is  not  yet  closed ;  nor  do  I  intend  it  shall  be,  unless 
the  enemy  quits  the  Jerseys. ' ' 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  180. 

Remained  Standing  throughout  the  Whole  Service 

An  anecdote  is  told  of  Washington's  conduct  while 
commander-in-chief,  illustrative  of  his  benignant  attention 
to  others,  and  his  freedom  from  all  assumption.  While  the 
army  was  encamped  at  Morristown,  he  one  day  attended  a 
religious  meeting  where  divine  service  was  to  be  celebrated  in 
the  open  air.  A  chair  had  been  set  out  for  his  use.  Just 
before  the  service  commenced  a  woman  with  a  child  in  her 
arms  approached.  All  the  seats  were  occupied.  Washing- 
ton immediately  rose,  placed  her  in  the  chair  which  had  been 
assigned  to  him,  and  remained  standing  throughout  the 
whole  service. 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  39. 

"Try  Me!" 

Among  the  foreign  candidates  for  appointments  was 
one  Colonel  Conway,  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  who,  according 


330  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

to  his  own  account,  had  been  thirty  years  in  the  service  of 
France,  and  claimed  to  be  a  chevalier  of  the  Order  of  St. 
Louis,  of  which  he  wore  the  decoration.  Mr.  Deane  had 
recommended  him  to  Washington  as  an  officer  of  merit, 
and  had  written  to  Congress  that  he  considered  him  well 
qualified  for  the  office  of  adjutant  or  brigadier-general,  and 
that  he  had  given  him  reason  to  hope  for  one  or  the  other 
of  these  appointments.  Colonel  Conway  pushed  for  that 
of  brigadier-general.  It  had  been  conferred  some  time 
before  by  Congress  on  two  French  officers,  De  Fermois  and 
Deborre,  who,  he  had  observed,  had  been  inferior  to  him  in 
the  French  service,  and  it  would  be  mortifying  now  to  hold 
rank  below  them. 

"I  cannot  pretend,"  writes  Washington  to  the  presi- 
dent, "to  speak  of  Colonel  Conway's  merits  or  abilities  of 
my  own  knowledge.  He  appears  to  be  a  man  of  candor, 
and  if  he  has  been  in  service  as  long  as  he  says,  I  should 
suppose  him  infinitely  better  qualified  to  serve  us  than  many 
who  have  been  promoted ,  as  he  speaks  our  language." 

Conway  accordingly  received  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general,  of  which  he  subsequently  proved  himself  unworthy. 
He  was  boastful  and  presumptuous,  and  became  noted  for 
his  intrigues,  and  for  a  despicable  cabal  against  the  comman- 
der-in-chief ,  which  went  by  his  name,  and  of  which  we  shall 
have  to  speak  hereafter. 

A  candidate  of  a  different  stamp  had  presented  himself 
in  the  preceding  year,  the  gallant,  generous-spirited  Thad- 
deus  Kosciuszko.  He  was  a  Pole,  of  an  ancient  and  noble 
family  of  Lithuania,  and  had  been  educated  for  the  pro- 
fession of  arms  at  the  military  school  at  Warsaw,  and  sub- 
sequently in  France.  Disappointed  in  a  love  affair  with  a 
beautiful  lady  of  rank  with  whom  he  had  attempted  to  elope, 
he  had  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  came  provided  with 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Franklin  to  Washington. 

"What  do  you  seek  here?"  inquired  the  commander- 
in-chief. 


BRANDYW1NE  AND  GERMANTOWN  331 

"  To  fight  for  American  independence. " 

"What  can  you  do?" 

"Try  me." 

Washington  was  pleased  with  the  curt  yet  comprehen- 
sive reply,  and  with  his  chivalrous  air  and  spirit,  and  at 
once  received  him  into  his  family  as  an  aide-de-camp. 
Congress  shortly  afterward  appointed  him  an  engineer, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  proved  a  valuable  officer 
throughout  the  Revolution,  and  won  an  honorable  and  last- 
ing name  in  our  country. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  71. 

The  General's  Narrow  Escape 

In  Delaware  the  General  had  a  narrow  escape.  He 
rode  out  with  Marquis  Lafayette  on  a  reconnaissance, 
attended  by  but  two  officers  and  an  orderly.  General 
Sullivan  had  an  officer  follow  with  a  half-troop;  but  the 
General,  fearing  such  numbers  might  attract  attention, 
ordered  them  to  wait  behind  a  thicket.  Looking  thence, 
they  saw  the  General  ride  direct  toward  a  picket  of  the 
enemy,  which  from  their  vantage  they  could  see,  but  he 
could  not.  An  English  officer,  perceiving  him,  seemed 
to  give  an  order  to  fire :  but  as  the  men  raised  their  pieces 
he  struck  them  up.  As  he  was  about  to  give  the  order  to 
fire,  the  General,  being  satisfied,  had  turned  his  back  to 
ride  away.  It  is  a  curious  tale,  is  it  not?  and  none  can 
explain  it. 

Long  years  after  I  myself  met  an  English  officer,  a 
General  Henderson,  in  Canada,  and  on  my  telling  him  the 
incident,  he  said  at  once  it  was  he  who  was  concerned,  and 
that  when  the  General  turned  to  ride  away  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  shoot  down  a  man  who  had  turned 
his  back.  He  was  amazed  and  pleased  to  know  who  it  was 
he  thus  spared. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  254. 
1-23 


332  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


"To  Learn,  and  Not  to  Instruct" 

Lafayette,  in  his  memoirs,  describes  a  review  of  Wash- 
ington's army  which  he  witnessed  about  this  time.  "  Eleven 
thousand  men,  but  tolerably  armed,  and  still  worse  clad, 
presented,"  he  said,  ."a  singular  spectacle;  in  their  parti- 
colored and  often  naked  state,  the  best  dresses  were  hunting 
shirts  of  brown  linen.  Their  tactics  were  equally  irregular. 
They  were  arranged  without  regard  to  size,  excepting  that 
the  smallest  men  were  the  front  rank;  with  all  this,  they 
were  good  looking  soldiers  conducted  by  zealous  officers." 

"We  ought  to  feel  embarrassed,"  said  Washington  to 
him,  "in  presenting  ourselves  before  an  officer  just  from 
the  French  army." 

"It  is  to  learn,  and  not  to  instruct  that  I  came  here, " 
was  Lafayette's  apt  and  modest  reply;  and  it  gained  him 
immediate  popularity. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  184. 

Washington  Weeps — No  Money  for  His  Men 

"  I  have  a  well  attested  word  of  Washington,  that  of 
James  Brown,  who  was  forty  years  postmaster  at  Geneva, 
New  York,  where  I  was  well  acquainted.  My  witness  was  the 
Hon.  Charles  C.  Clark,  long  Vice-President  of  the  New  York 
Central  railroad,  and  my  close  personal  friend.  Brown  is 
now  long  since  gone.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  those 
times.  I  fully  believe  he  told  the  truth.  He  was  a  good 
man  and  truthful.  He  was  a  young  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Robert  Morris,  'the  financier  of  the  Revolution'  and,  sitting 
at  a  table,  witnessed  this  incident : 

"Two  days  before  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  Wash- 
ington called  at  Morris's  office  in  Philadelphia  and  said 
that  they  were  so  far  in  arrears  with  the  soldiers'  pay,  and 
the  men  were  in  such  hardships  that  they  had  little  heart 
for  battle,  so  they  were  liable  to  lose  in  the  event  just  at 
hand. 


BRANDYWINE  AND  GERMANTOWN  333 

"  'Can  you  help  us?'  pleaded  the  commander-in-chief 
in  a  voice  husky  with  emotion. 

"Morris  shook  his  head  sadly,  saying: 

"  'I  have  used  up  my  own  means  and  credit.  I  am 
deeply  grieved  to  admit  that  I  can  do  nothing  now — 
nothing!' 

"General  Washington,  covering  his  face  with  his  large 
hands,  so  that  the  fingers  touched  his  forehead,  burst  into 
an  abandon  of  weeping,  and  as  he  sat  there  sobbing,  the 
tears  trickled  through  his  fingers  and  dropped  down  his 
wrists. 

"The  General  soon  gained  his  normal  composure,  arose 
and  went  out  without  a  word.  The  financier  also  got  up 
and  silently  followed  him,  looking  sadly  after  Washington 
as  he  passed  slowly  down  the  street. 

"Two  days  later,  September  nth,  1777,  Washington 
met  Lord  Howe  at  Brandywine  and  was  defeated." 

Extract  from  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Dr   Ammi  B.  Hyde,  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Denver,  Colorado. 

Defeat  at  Chad's  Ford,  Brandywine  Creek 

Early  on  September  nth,  the  British  advanced  to 
Chad's  Ford,  where  Washington  was  posted  with  the  main 
body,  and  after  some  skirmishing  began  to  cannonade  at 
long  range.  Meantime  Cornwallis,  with  the  main  body, 
made  a  long  detour  of  seventeen  miles,  and  came  upon  the 
right  flank  and  rear  of  the  Americans.  Sullivan,  who  was 
on  the  right,  had  failed  to  guard  the  fords  above,-  and 
through  lack  of  information  was  practically  surprised. 
Washington,  on  rumors  that  the  enemy  were  marching 
toward  his  right,  with  the  instinct  of  a  great  soldier  was 
about  to  cross  the  river  in  his  front  and  crush  the  enemy 
there,  but  he  also  was  misled  and  kept  back  by  false  reports. 
When  the  truth  was  known,  it  was  too  late.  The  right 
wing  had  been  beaten  and  flung  back,  the  enemy  were 
nearly  in  the  rear,  and  were  now  advancing  in  earnest  in 


334  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

front.  All  that  man  could  do  was  done.  Troops  were 
pushed  forward  and  a  gallant  stand  was  made  at  various 
points;  but  the  critical  moment  had  come  and  gone,  and 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  a  hasty  retreat,  which  came 
near  degenerating  into  a  rout. 

The  causes  of  this  complete  defeat,  for  such  it  was,  are 
easily  seen.  Washington  had  planned  his  battle  and 
chosen  his  position  well.  If  he  had  not  been  deceived  by 
the  first  reports,  he  even  then  would  have  fallen  upon  and 
overwhelmed  the  British  centre  before  they  could  have 
reached  his  right  wing.  But  the  Americans,  to  begin  with, 
were  outnumbered.  They  had  only  eleven  thousand 
effective  men,  while  the  British  brought  fifteen  of  their 
eighteen  thousand  into  action.  Then  the  Americans 
suffered,  as  they  constantly  did,  from  misinformation,  and 
from  an  absence  of  system  in  learning  the  enemy's  move- 
ments. Washington's  attack  was  fatally  checked  in  this 
way,  and  Sullivan  was  surprised  from  the  same  causes,  as 
well  as  from  his  own  culpable  ignorance  of  the  country 
beyond  him,  which  was  the  reason  of  his  failure  to  guard 
the  upper  fords.  The  Americans  lost,  also,  by  the  unsteadi- 
ness of  the  new  troops  when  the  unexpected  happens,  and 
when  the  panic-bearing  notion  that  they  are  surprised  and 
likely  to  be  surrounded  comes  upon  them  with  a  sudden 
shock. 

This  defeat  was  complete  and  severe,  and  it  was  fol- 
lowed in  a  few  days  by  that  of  Wayne,  who  narrowly 
escaped  utter  ruin.  Yet  through  all  this  disaster  we  can 
see  the  advance  which  had  been  made  since  the  equally 
unfortunate  and  very  similar  battle  on  Long  Island.  Then, 
the  troops  seemed  to  lose  heart  and  courage,  the  army  was 
held  together  with  difficulty,  and  could  do  nothing  but 
retreat.  Now,  in  the  few  days  which  Howe,  as  usual,  gave 
us  with  such  fatal  effect  to  himself,  Washington  rallied  his 
army,  and  finding  them  in  excellent  spirits  marched  down 
the  Lancaster  road  to  fight  again.  On  the  eve  of  battle 


BRANDYWINE  AND  GERMANTOWN  335 

a  heavy  storm  came  on,  which  so  injured  the  arms  and 
ammunitions  that  with  bitter  disappointment  he  was 
obliged  to  withdraw,  but  nevertheless  it  is  plain  how  much 
this  forward  movement  meant.  At  the  moment,  how- 
ever, it  looked  badly  enough,  especially  after  the  defeat  of 
Wayne,  for  Howe  pressed  forward,  took  possession  of 
Philadelphia,  and  encamped  the  main  body  of  his  army  at 
Germantown. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  191. 

Report  of  the  Battle  of  Brandywine 

(Letter  to  the  President  of  Congress.} 

"CHESTER  twelve  o'clock  at  Night, 
"n  September,  1777. 

"SIR, 

"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you,  that,  in  this  day's 
engagement,  we  have  been  obliged  to  leave  the  enemy 
masters  of  the  field.  Unfortunately  the  intelligence  reed., 
of  the  enemy's  advancing  up  the  Brandywine  &  crossing 
at  a  ford  about  six  miles  above  us,  was  uncertain  and  con- 
tradictory, notwithstanding  all  my  pains  to  get  the  best. 
This  prevented  my  making  a  disposition  adequate  to  the 
force  with  which  the  enemy  attacked  us  on  our  right;  in 
consequence  of  which,  the  troops  first  engaged  were  obliged 
to  retire  before  they  could  be  reinforced.  In  the  midst  of 
the  attack  on  our  right,  that  body  of  the  enemy,  which 
remained  on  the  'other  side  of  Chad's  Ford,  crossed  it,  & 
attacked  the  division  there  under  the  command  of  General 
Wayne,  &  the  light  troops  under  Genl  Maxwell,  who,  after 
a  severe  conflict,  also  retired.  The  militia  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major-General  Armstrong,  being  posted  at  a  ford 
about  two  miles  below  Chad's  had  no  opportunity  of  engag- 
ing. 

"  But  altho  we  fought  under  many  disadvantages, 
and  were,  from  the  causes  above  mentioned,  obliged  to 


336  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

retire,  yet  our  loss  of  men  is  not,  I  am  persuaded,  very  con- 
siderable, I  believe  much  less  than  the  enemy's.  We  have 
also  lost  seven  or  eight  pieces  of  cannon,  according  to  the 
best  information  I  dan  at  present  obtain.  The  baggage, 
having  been  previously  moved  off,  is  all  secure,  saving  the 
men's  blankets,  which  being  at  their  backs  many  of  them 
doubtless  were  lost.  I  have  directed  all  the  troops  to 
assemble  behind  Chester,  where  they  are  now  arranging 
for  this  night.  Notwithstanding  the  misfortune  of  the 
day,  I  am  happy  to  find  the  troops  in  good  spirits;  and  I 
hope  another  time  we  shall  compensate  for  the  losses  now 
sustained.  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  was  wounded  in  the 
leg,  &  General  Woodford  in  the  hand ;  divers  other  officers 
were  wounded,  &  some  slain;  but  the  numbers  of  either 
cannot  now  be  ascertained.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c., 

[G.    WASHINGTON.] 

"  P.S.  It  has  not  been  in  my  power  to  send  you  earlier 
intelligence,  the  present  being  the  first  leisure  moment  I 
have  had  since  the  action." 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  88. 

A  Small  Defeated  Army  Defies  the  Victor 

Washington,  after  his  defeat  at  Brandywine,  retreated 
with  most  of  his  army  to  Chester  on  the  Delaware.  There 
seems  to  have  been  some  scattering  among  his  men,  although 
it  cannot  be  said  that  his  army  was  demoralized.  His 
wounded  were  sent  to  Chester  and  various  places.  Among 
the  wounded,  young  Lafayette,  with  a  ball  in  his  leg,  was 
carried  to  Bethlehem,  to  be  cared  for  by  the  Moravians. 

The  next  day  Washington  took  most  of  his  army  up 
the  Delaware  towards  the  Schuylkill.  Howe  now  had  him 
forced  into  the  angle  of  the  two  rivers,  and  could  have  com- 
pelled his  surrender  or  destruction.  But  Washington 
passed  on  unmolested,  crossed  the  Schuylkill,  and  encamped 
\n  Germantown  between  the  two  rivers. 


BRANDYWIN-E  AND  GERMANTOWN         '337 

Having  declined  to  destroy  Washington's  army  when 
he  had  it  in  his  power,  it  was  now  somewhat  difficult  for 
Howe  to  cross  the  Schuylkill  and  enter  Philadelphia.  The 
floating  bridges  were  all  taken  away,  and  the  steep  banks 
of  the  river  made  crossing  doubly  difficult  so  long  as  Wash- 
ington was  at  large  and  might  attack  the  first  small  force 
that  got  across  the  stream. 

The  desire  of  the  British  army  to  get  into  Philadelphia 
and  of  Washington  to  prevent  it  kept  up  for  two  weeks  a 
contest  of  wits  between  Washington  and  Howe.  Howe  was 
determined  to  do  no  more  fighting  if  he  could  help  it.  He 
appeared  to  be  in  no  hurry,  and  remained  camped  near  the 
battle-field  of  the  Brandywine.  Wayne's  scouts  who 
watched  him  reported  that  his  men  were  quietly  resting, 
cooking,  and  washing  their  clothes. 

Stung  by  his  defeat  and  seeing  the  laxity  of  Howe, 
Washington  was  impatient  to  try  another  issue.  He  soon 
crossed  the  Schuylkill  to  the  same  side  with  Howe,  and 
marched  twenty  miles  until  he  found  the  British  a  little 
west  of  Paoli  at  the  Warren  Tavern.  There  the  two  armies 
confronted  each  other,  apparently  ready  for  battle. 

But  there  was  no  battle.  The  extraordinary  spec- 
tacle was  presented  of  a  small  defeated  army  returning 
to  the  victor  and  standing  in  front  of  him,  daring  him  to' 
fight. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  34*. 

A  Drunken  General  at  Germantown 

During  the  night  march,  several  incidents  occurred 
that  might  be  deemed  ominous  of  the  fortunes  of  the  coming 
day.  The  celebrated  Count  Pulaski,  who  was  charged  with 
the  service  of  watching  the  enemy  and  gaining  intelligence, 
was  said  to  have  been  found  asleep  in  a*  farm-house.  But 
although  the  gallant  Pole  might  have  been  overtaken  by 
slumber,  from  the  great  fatigue  growing  out  of  the  duties 
of  the  advance  guard,  ^et  no  soldier  was  more  wide  awake 


338  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

in  the  moment  of  combat  than  the  intrepid  and  chivalric 
Count  Pulaski. 

The  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  ammunition-wagons 
was  productive  of  most  serious  consequences  in  the  action 
of  the  succeeding  day.  The  general  officer  [Gen.  Adam 
Stephen,  of  Virginia]  to  whom  the  blame  of  this  delay  was 
attached  was  afterward  discovered  in  a  state  of  intoxication, 
lying  in  the  corner  of  a  fence.  Lieutenant  Benjamin 
Grymes,  of  the  Life-guard,  grasping  the  delinquent  by  the 
collar,  placed  him  on  his  legs,  and  bade  him  go  and  do  his 
duty.  This  bold  proceeding  on  the  part  of  a  subaltern  to- 
ward a  general  officer  was  certainly  at  variance  with  rules 
or  orders  of  discipline;  but  the  exigency  of  the  moment, 
and  the  degrading  spectacle  that  an  officer  of  high  rank 
had  presented  to  the  eyes  of  the  soldiery,  would  seem  to 
have  warranted  a  proceeding  that,  under  different  circum- 
stances, must  be  considered  as  subversive  of  all  military 
discipline.  Grymes  was  a  bold,  brave  soldier,  enthusias- 
tically attached  to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  foremost 
among  the  asserters  of  her  liberties.  The  general  officer 
of  whom  we  have  spoken  was  brought  to  a  court-martial 
and  cashiered. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  195. 

Fighting  in  Fog 

The  only  hope  of  defeating  this  well-posted  force  lay 
in  a  surprise,  and  Washington  selected  the  night  of  October 
3,  1777,  for  the  attempt.  Starting  his  men  on  their  long 
march  about  seven  in  the  evening,  he  moved  them  so  rapidly 
that  they  reached  their  destination  before  sunrise  the  next 
morning,  and  though  some  vague  rumors  of  his  advance 
had  reached  the  British  camp,  they  excited  no  alarm. 
Just  outside  the  town  he  divided  his  command  into  four 
columns,  assigning  each  to  one  of  the  four  roads  leading 
into  the  town,  with  orders  that  they  should  all  press  for- 


BRAN  DYW INK  AND  GERMANTOWN  339 

ward  at  the  same  moment,  and  pouring  in  from  different 
directions,  drive  the  attack  home  with  a  fury  that  would 
create  confusion,  divide  the  enemy,  and  afford  an  oppor- 
tunity for  overwhelming  its  various  detachments,  one  at  a 
time.  This  plan,  which  aimed  at  nothing  less  than  the 
destruction  of  the  entire  British  army,  was  an  ambitious 
and  daring  move,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Americans 
were  outnumbered,  but  it  was  well  thought  out,  and  the  four 
divisions  moved  to  their  posts  full  of  confidence  and  hope, 
John  Marshall,  the  future  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States, 
marching  with  one  of  the  columns.  By  this  time,  how- 
ever, a  heavy  fog  hung  over  the  roads  and  fields,  and  be- 
fore the  final  advance  was  fairly  started  the  converging 
columns  were  completely  screened  from  each  other's  view, 
and  the  men  had  to  grope  their  way  forward  with  consider- 
able caution. 

Down  the  main  road  toward  the  head  of  the  street 
crept  the  Americans  under  General  Anthony  Wayne,  and 
before  long  they  struck  the  British  sentries  and  gobbled 
them  up  almost  before  they  had  time  to  cry  out.  The  sur- 
prise was  complete,  but  as  the  Americans  pressed  forward, 
sweeping  everything  before  them,  they  suddenly  stumbled 
upon  Colonel  Musgrave's  regiment,  which  sprang  to  arms, 
taking  cover  behind  fences,  walls,  and  hedges  and  a  fierce 
struggle  followed,  the  combatants  fighting  at  close  range  and 
firing  at  the  flashes  of  each  other's  muskets  through  the 
curtain  of  the  fog.  It  was  only  for  a  moment,  however,  that 
the  onrush  was  checked  and  most  of  the  Fortieth  Regiment 
was  soon  flying  at  top  speed  from  the  victorious  Americans, 
leaving  its  Colonel  and  a  handful  of  men  pratically  sur- 
rounded. 

But  Colonel  Musgrave,  though  cornered,  was  far  from 
being  caught.  His  one  chance  of  escape  lay  in  reaching 
some  shelter  where  he  could  hold  out  until  re-enforcements 
reached  him,  and.  taking  it,  he  made  a  dash  for  the  Chew 
Mansion  immediately  behind  him,  threw  his  men  inside, 


340  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  opened  a  brisk  fire  from  the  windows  on  his  pursuers 
as  they  leaped  forward  out  of  the  fog.  For  a  moment  the 
Americans  hesitated.  The  gallant  officer  and  his  men 
were  completely  surrounded  and  could  not  possibly  escape, 
so  a  young  Virginian  lieutenant  was  sent  forward  with  a 
white  flag  to  demand  their  immediate  surrender.  Doubt- 
less they  did  not  see  his  handkerchief,  or  bit  of  white  rag, 
in  the  misty  light,  and  before  he  came  within  hailing  dis- 
tance a  musket  in  one  of  the  upper  windows  flashed  and 
the  officer  fell  dead,  clutching  his  flag  of  truce. 

From  that  instant  the  fate  of  the  whole  enterprise 
was  practically  sealed,  for  .  Wayne's  division,  instead  of 
leaving  the  building  under  a  sufficient  guard  and  pressing 
forward  according  to  Washington's  plan,  determined  to 
avenge  what  was  regarded  as  the  wanton  murder  of  their 
comrade,  and  bringing  up  cannon  they  proceeded  to  batter 
the  house  to  pieces.  But  the  old  dwelling  was  strongly 
constructed  and  the  cannon  balls  made  but  little  impression 
on  its  stone  walls.  Efforts  were  then  made  to  set  it  on  fire 
and  carry  it  by  assault,  but  Colonel  Musgrave  and  his  men, 
realizing  the  temper  of  their  assailants  and  the  strength 
of  their  own  position,  heroically  determined  to  sell  their 
lives  as  dearly  as  possible,  and  the  Americans  who  stepped 
out  of  the  fog  bank  and  within  range  of  their  muskets 
courted  death. 

Solid  shot  crashed  through  the  windows  and  tore  the 
doors  apart ;  plaster  and  bricks  flew  up  in  dust ;  chimneys 
toppled,  and  the  barricades  of  furniture  were  blown  to 
splinters,  but  though  rush  after  rush  was  made  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  these  openings,  only  one  man  reached  the  win- 
dows alive.  Indeed,  no  less  than  fifty-seven  Americans 
fell  under  the  deadly  fire  that  spurted  from  every  loophole 
in  the  improvised  fortress,  and  every  victim  increased  the 
assailants'  rage.  The  roar  of  this  mimic  battle  was,  of  course, 
heard  by  the  other  parts  of  the  Continental  army,  and  be- 
fore long  several  battalions,  a  brigade,  and  a  whole  division 


BRANDYWINE  AND  GERMANTOWN  341 


were  hurriedly  groping  their  way  toward  what  they  sup- 
posed to  be  the  main  field  of  action,  each  screened  from 
the  other  by  the  fog. 

Up  to  this  moment  success  was  far  from  impossible, 
for  some  of  the  divisions  had  already  fallen  upon  the  Brit- 
ish and  were  driving  them  with  considerable  confusion  back 
upon  their  supports.  Indeed,  a  little  pressure  would  have 
undoubtedly  started  the  panic  upon  which  Washington 
had  counted,  but  the  bombardment  of  the  Chew  Mansion 
delayed  Wayne's  troops,  and  before  this  could  be  corrected 
two  of  the  brigades  which  were  moving  toward  the  sound 
of  the  cannonading  got  directly  behind  Wayne's  division, 
and  mistaking  them  for  the  enemy,  fired  point-blank  into 
their  ranks,  and  believing  they  were  being  attacked  from 
the  rear,  Colonel  Musgrave's  besiegers  began  a  retreat. 

Meanwhile  the  other  divisions,  finding  themselves 
without  support,  gave  way  before  the  re-enforcements 
which  the  British  hurried  from  Philadelphia  and  some- 
thing very  like  a  panic  struck  the  entire  American  force. 
For  a  time  it  seemed  as  though  the  day  which  had  begun 
with  such  brilliant  prospects  would  end  in  utter  disaster, 
but  Washington,  ably  seconded  by  Greene,  soon  got  control 
of  the  fugitives,  and  when  Howe  started  to  pursue  he  found 
the  Americans  so  skilfully  posted  that  he  retired,  well 
satisfied  with  having  saved  his  army. 

Washington  thereupon  withdrew  his  troops  in  good 
order,  having  lost  about  a  thousand  men,  of  which  four 
hundred  were  taken  prisoners,  but  having  inflicted  such  a 
blow  on  the  enemy  that  all  thought  of  rescuing  Burgoyne 
was  abandoned. 

On  the  Trail  of  Washington,  Frederick  Trevor  Hill,  p.  163 

"  You  Will  Fire  upon  Your  Own  People !" 

Six  companies  of  the  fortieth  regiment,  under  their 
lieutenant-colonel,  being  hard  pressed  by  the  advancing 
columns  of  Americans,  threw  themselves  into  Chew's 


342  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

house,  a  strongly  constructed  stone  building,  and  barri- 
cading the  lower  windows,  opened  a  destructive  fire  from 
the  cellars  and  upper  windows.  The  Americans,  finding 
their  musketry  made  no  impression,  were  in  the  act  of 
dragging  up  their  cannon  to  batter  the  walls,  when  a  ruse 
de  guerre  was  attempted,  which,  however,  failed  of  success. 
An  officer  galloped  up  from  the  house,  and  cried  out,  "  What 
are  you  about;  you  will  fire  upon  your  own  people.  "  The 
artillery  opened,  but,  after  fifteen  or  twenty  rounds,  the 
pieces  were  found  to  be  of  too  small  caliber  to  make  a 
serious  impression,  and  were  withdrawn. 

A  most  daring  and  chivalric  attempt  was  now  made  to 
fire  the  building.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens,  aide-de- 
camp to  the  commander-in-chief,  with  a  few  volunteers, 
rushed  up  to  the  house  under  cover  of  the  smoke,  and  applied 
a  burning  brand  to  the  principal  door,  at  the  same  time  en- 
gaging passes  with  his  sword  with  the  enemy  on  the  inside. 
By  almost  a  miracle,  this  gallant  and  accomplished  officer 
escaped  unharmed,  although  his  clothes  were  repeatedly  torn 
by  the  enemy's  shot.  Another  and  equally  daring  attempt 
was  made  by  Major  White,  aide-de-camp  to  General  Sulli- 
van, but  without  as  fortunate  a  result.  The  major,  while 
in  the  act  of  firing  one  of  the  cellar  windows,  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  soon  afterward. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  198. 

Holding  up  Their  Empty  Cartridge  Boxes 

At  this  period  of  the  action  the  fog  had  become  so 
dense  that  objects  could  scarcely  be  distinguished  at  a  few 
yards'  distance.  The  Americans  had  penetrated  the 
enemy's  camp  even  to  their  second  line,  which  was  drawn 
up  to  receive  them  about  the  centre  of  Germantown.  The 
ammunition  of  the  right  wing,  including  the  Maryland 
brigades,  became  exhausted,  the  soldiers  holding  up  their 
empty  cartridge  boxes,  when  their  officers  called  on  them 


BRAXDYIVLVE  AND  GERMANTOWN  343 

to  rally  and  face  the  enemy.  The  extended  line  of  operations, 
which  embraced  nearly  two  miles,  the  unfavorable  nature 
of  the  ground  in  the  environs  of  Germantown  for  the  oper- 
ation of  troops  (a  large  portion  of  whom  were  undisci- 
plined) ,  the  ground  being  much  cut  up,  and  intersected  by 
stone  fences  and  enclosures  of  various  sorts;  the  delay  of 
the  left  wing  under  Greene  in  getting  into  action — all  these 
causes,  combined  with  an  atmosphere  so  dense  from  fog 
and  smoke  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  distinguish  friend 
from  foe,  produced  a  retreat  in  the  American  army  at  the 
moment  when  victory  seemed  to  be  within  its  grasp. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  200. 

Heroic  General  Nash 

While  gallantly  leading  the  North  Carolina  brigade, 
that  formed  part-  of  the  reserve,  into  action,  General  Nash 
was  mortally  wounded.  A  round-shot  from  the  British 
artillery  striking  a  sign-post  in  Germantown,  glanced 
therefrom,  and,  passing  through  his  horse,  shattered  the 
general's  thigh  on  the  opposite  side.  The  fall  of  the  animal 
hurled  its  unfortunate  rider  with  considerable  force  to  the 
ground.  '  With  surpassing  courage  and  presence  of  mind, 
General  Nash,  covering  his  wound  with  both  of  his  hands, 
gayly  called  out  to  his  men, 

"Never  mind  me,  I  have  had  a  devil  of  a  tumble; 
rush  on,  my  boys,  rush  after  the  enemy,  I'll  be  after  you 
presently." 

Human  nature  could  do  no  more.  Faint  from  loss  of 
blood,  and  the  intense  agony  of  his  wound,  the  sufferer 
was  borne  to  a  house  hard  by,  and  attended  by  Doctor 
Craik,  by  special  order  of  the  commander-in-chief.  The 
doctor  gave  his  patient  but  feeble  hopes  of  recovery,  even 
with  the  chances  of  amputation,  when  Nash  observed, 

"  It  may  be  considered  unmanly  to  complain,  but 
my  agony  is  too  great  for  human  nature  to  bear.  I  am 


344  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


aware  that  my  days,  perhaps  hours,  are  numbered,  but  I 
do  not  repine  at  my  fate.  I  have  fallen  on  the  field  of 
honor  while  leading  my  brave  Carolinians  to  the  assault 
of  the  enemy.  I  have  a  last  request  to  make  of  his  excel- 
lency the  commander-in-chief,  that  he  will  permit  you,  my 
dear  doctor,  to  remain  with  me,  to  protect  me  while  I  live, 
and  my  remains  from  insult." 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted   Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  202. 

How  the  Battle  Was  Lost 

Washington-,  as  usual  when  matters  went  ill,  exposed 
himself  recklessly,  to  the  great  alarm  of  his  generals,  but 
all  in  vain.  He  was  deeply  disappointed,  and  expressed 
himself  so  at  first,  for  he  saw  that  the  men  had  unaccount- 
ably given  way  when  th-ey  were  on  the  edge  of  victory. 
The  underlying  cause  was  of  course,  as  at  Long  Island  and 
Brandy  wine,  the  unsteadiness  of  the  raw  troops,  and  Wash- 
ington felt  rightly,  after  the  first  sting  had  passed,  that 
he  had  really  achieved  a  great  deal.  Congress  applauded 
the  attempt,  and  when  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  away, 
men  generally  perceived  that  its  having  been  fought  at  all 
was  in  reality  the  important  fact.  It  made  also  a  profound 
impression  upon  the  French  cabinet.  Eagerly  watching  the 
course  of  events,  they  saw  the  significance  of  the  fact  that 
an  army  raised  within  a  year  could  fight  a  battle  in  the  open 
field,  endure  a  severe  defeat,  and  take  the  offensive  and 
make  a  bold  and  well-planned  attack,  which  narrowly 
missed  being  overwhelmingly  successful.  To  the  observant 
and  trained  eyes  of  Europe,  the  defeat  at  Germantown 
made  it  evident  that  there  was  fighting  material  among 
these  untrained  colonists,  capable  of  becoming  formidable; 
and  that  there  was  besides  a  powerful  will  and  directing 
mind,  capable  on  its  part  of  bringing  this  same  material 
into  the  required  shape  and  condition.  To  dispassionate 
onlookers,  England's  grasp  on  her  colonies  appeared  to  be 


BRANDYWINE  AND  GERM  AN  TOWN  34$ 


slipping  away  very  rapidly.  Washington  himself  saw  the 
meaning  of  it  all  plainly  enough,  for  it  was  but  the  develop- 
ment of  his  theory  of  carrying  on  the  war. 

George  Washington    Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  195. 

"Ah,  These  Americans  Are  an  Elastic  People !" 

But  the  most  happy  and  imposing  influences  upon 
America  and  her  cause,  resulting  from  the  battle  of  Ger- 
mantown,  were  experienced  abroad.  "Eh,  mon  Dieu, " 
exclaimed  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  the  French  minister 
of  foreign  affairs,  to  the  American  commissioners  in  Paris, 
"what  is  this  you  tell  me,  Messieurs;  another  battle,  and 
the  British  grand  army  surprised  in  its  camp  at  German- 
town,  Sir  William  and  his  veterans  routed  and  flying  for 
two  hours,  and  a  great  victory  only  denied  to  Washington 
by  a  tissue  of  accidents  beyond  human  control?  Ah,  ah, 
these  Americans  are  an  elastic  people!  Press  them  down 
to-day,  they  rise  to-morrow.  And  then,  my  dear  sirs, 
these  military  wonders  to  be  achieved  by  an  army  raised 
within  a  single  year,  opposed  to  the  skill,  discipline,  and  ex- 
perience of  European  troops  commanded  by  generals 
grown  gray  in  war.  The  brave  Americans,  they  are  worthy 
of  the  aid  of  France.  They  will  succeed  at  last. " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  207. 


PART  II 


Copyright,  1907,  by  Gerlach-Barklow  Co.     From  the  Painting  by  J.  L.  G.  Ferrit. 

WASHINGTON'S  LAST  FAREWELL  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

On  leaving  for  New  York  to  be  first  President.      (Page  208.) 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PART  II 


PAGB 

List  of  Illustrations ix 

CHAPTER  XIX 
General  Gates  and  Burgoyne's  Surrender 1 1 

Stories: — A  Double  Feint — Outnumbered,  Beaten,  and  Caught, 
Burgoyne  Surrenders — Could  Not  Avoid  Being  a  Gentle- 
man— An  Event  of  Infinite  Importance — A  Letter  about 
German  town  and  Burgoyne — ' '  My  Tender-hearted  Hyenas, 
Go  Forth!" — With  Washington  at  White  Marsh — Penn- 
sylvania Remonstrates  against  Going  into  Winter  Quarters 
— Table  of  Events  in  1777. 

CHAPTER  XX 
"The  Long  and  Dreary  Winter"  at  Valley  Forge 23 

Stories: — The  State  of  Affairs  That  Winter— How  They  Kept 
the  Sentry  Warm — Thanking  "Light- horse  Harry  " — "Who 
Are  You,  Anyhow?" — The  Kind  of  Man  He  Really  Was — 
Not  Every  Man  a  Hero  at  Valley  Forge — "For  This 
Example  of  Christian  Charity" — "I  Can  Curse  Dem  No 
More!" — His  Secret — How  the  British  Spent  the  Winter 
— The  Mischianza. 

CHAPTER  XXI 
The  Conway  Conspiracy 38 

Stories: — "Good  General,  Pluck  the  Moon  from  the  Sky!" — He 
Had  Long  Cherished  a  Secret  Hostility — The  Opposition's 
High  Water  Mark — The  "Cabal" — "General  Gates  Ex- 
alted on  the  Ruin  of  My  Reputation  " — ' '  I  Mean  Not  to 
Shrink  From  the  Cause" — General  Conway's  Apology — 
No  Peace  for  Washington. 

(i) 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXII 

PAGE 

The  Battle  of  Monmouth  and  the  Treachery  of  Charles  Lee 50 

Stories: — Detailed  Account  of  the  Battle  of  Monmouth — "They 
Are  All  Coming  This  Way!" — Varying  Versions  by  Other 
Witnesses — "Never  Had  I  Beheld  So  Superb  a  Man" — The 
Doomed  Gun  Was  No  Longer  Deemed  Unlucky — Captain 
Molly  at  Monmouth — After  Monmouth — Lee,  the  Traitor, 
Disgraced— Did  General  Washington  Swear? — "  I  Have  No 
Exclusive  Partialities.  " 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
French  Aid  and  American  Greed 67 

Stories: — Foreign  Officers,  the  French  Alliance,  and  Three 
Letters — Washington's  Patriotic  Pride — "Those  Monopo- 
lizers— Speculators — Peculators!  " — A  Series  of  Minor  Tor- 
ments— The  Freedom  of  a  Private  Gentleman — "Not 
Expedient  to  Expose  the  Highest  Virtues  to  Such  Tempta- 
4  tions" — Table  of  Events  in  1778. 

CHAPTER  XXIV 
"Not  Worth  a  Continental !" 77 

Stories: — Story  of  Stony  Point  by  a  Participant — A  Recent 
Account  of  the  Capture  of  Stony  Point — "Light-horse 
Harry  "  Takes  Paulus  Hook — To  Suffer  Was  the  Lot  of  the 
Revolutionary  Soldier — Welcome  News  from  Lafayette — 
Speaking  of  His  Personal  Appearance — An  Invitation  to 
Dine  at  Headquarters — A  Continental  System  of  "Dona- 
tion Parties" — Table  of  Events  in  1779. 

CHAPTER  XXV 
General  Arnold  and  Major  Andre" 87 

Stories: — Benedict  Arnold, before  the  Great  Treason — "The Army 
They  Will  Never  Conquer  " — "Whom  Can  We  Trust  Now? " 
— "He  Wants  Feeling" — Intercedes  in  Vain  for  Major 
Andr£— The  Execution — No  Patriot  Would  Perform  the 
Task: — An  English  Poetess  Prophesies  against  Washing- 
ton— An  English  Officer's  View  of  the  Case — Benedict 
Arnold's  Reward — Table  of  Events  in  1780. 


CONTENTS  iii 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

PAGE 

Helplessly  Watching  the  War  in  the   South 102 

Stories: — "Would  to  God  They  Were  to  End  Here!"— A  Com- 
bined Movement  at  the  South — "Mad  Anthony"  and  the 
Mutiny — Discontent  in  the  Army  and  an  Appeal  for 
Money — "A  Difference  in  a  Moment  of  Passion — "It  Is  out 
of  My  Power" — Disappointments  and  Cross  Purposes — A 
Letter  Intended  to  Be  Intercepted — "Your  Duty,  Young 
Man,  Is  Not  to  Talk,  but  to  Obey!" — Wondering  What  to 
Do  and  How  to  Do  It — "A  Tempting  Proposal  to  a  Young 
General  of  Twenty-four" — "Less  Painful  to  Me  if  They 
Had  Burnt  My  House " — ' '  If  You  Had  Looked  behind 
You  at  the  Battle  of  Cowpens! " 

CHAPTER  XXVII 
The  Storming  of  Yorktown 119 

Stories: — "Gone  to  Catch  Cornwallis  in  His  Mouse- trap  " — Visits 
Mount  Vernon  after  Six  Years — Jolly  Knox  Laughed  Till 
His  Fat  Sides  Shook — Not  to  His  Glass  but  to  His  Grave 
— The  Battle  Wages — ' '  Save  Me,  for  I  Have  Been  a  Good 
Soldier"— "The  Work  Is  Done  and  Well  Done" — The  Sur- 
render of  Cornwallis — The  Crowning  Glory  of  the  War — 
"Posterity  Will  Huzza  for  Us" — "Then  They  Did  Look  at 
Us,  but  Were  Not  Very  Well  Pleased" — The  Numbers 
Involved — The  Manly,  Frank,  and  Soldierly  Bearing  of 
Cornwallis — Several  Samples  of  Washington's  Humor — 
"These  Are  Modes  of  Discharging  a  Soldier's  Duty" — 
"And  Cornwallis  Is  Taken!" — The  "Financier  of  the  Revo- 
lution" in  Prison  for  Debt — "It  Is  High  Time  for  Me  to 
Die" — The  News  of  Yorktown  in  America  and  England. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 
The  Close  of  the  War 140 

Stories: — Grief  in  the  Midst  of  Rejoicing — "No  Part  of  the  Blame 
Shall  Be  Mine" — The  Mother  of  Washington  at  a  Ball  in  His 
Honor — "At  the  President's  Feet,  Congress  and  All!" — 
Washington  Goes  to  Newburg — "Patch  up  an  Inglorious 
Peace" — The  Asgill  Affair — "Let  Me  Conjure  You  to  Banish 
These  Thoughts  from  Your  Mind!" — "It  Is  High  Time  for 


iv  CONTENTS 


a  Peace" — "A  Bitter  Pill  to  Royalty" — British  Jeers  at 
the  Stars  and  Stripes — "The  Odious  Aroma  of  Impotent 
Malice  " — Rode  Like  Black  Care  behind  Him — News  of  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  — The  Eighth  Anniversary  —  Indepen- 
dence— "An  Independent  People  Yet  to  Learn  Political 
Tactics" — "For  Heaven's  Sake,  Who  Are  Congress?" — 
Washington  Takes  Leave  of  His  Officers — Kissing  His 
Officers  While  Tears  Flowed  down  Their  Cheeks — Render- 
ing His  Account — "How  Small  Ambitious  Caesar  Seems!" — 
How  He  Must  Have  Longed  to  Laugh! — Written  Address  on 
Resigning  His  Commission — Thackeray  Contrasts  the  Two 
Georges — Blessings  on  Thee !— Table  of  Events,  1781  to 
1783- 

CHAPTER  XXIX 
"The  Cincinnatus  of  the  West" 169 

Stories: — Moun!  Vernon  Becomes  a  Mecca — "Tell  George  to 
Come  Here  Instantly!" — From  Virginian  to  American — 
"Under  My  Own  Vine  and  Fig-tree" — Van  Braam  Again, 
after  Thirty  Years — Fine  Clothes  Do  Not  Make  Fine 
Men — Ploughs  and  Hunting — The  Nephew  and  the  Ice- 
house— The  Fact  Called  "George  Washington" — Goes  to 
Visit  Lands  on  the  Ohio  and  Kanawha  Rivers — From 
Washington's  Diary  of  September,  MDCCL**3"  v— "Big  with 
Great  Political  as  Well  as  Commercia]  Consequences" — 
The  Long-expected  Visit  of  Lafayette — Lafayette's  Goes 
to  See  the  Mother  of  Washington  — ' '  Nothing  Left  but 
Obey" — Marriage  Congratulations,  Humorous  but  Hearty — 
"Standing  at  My  Bedside  with  a  Bowl  of  Hot  Tea" — The 
General  "Parted  with"  His  Pack! — Last  Days  of  Nelson, 
the  War  Horse — Head  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati — 
His  Strong  Affection  for  Mount  Vernon — "Four  Dollars 
to  be  Drunk  Four  Days  and  Four  Nights" — The  Name 
of  Washington. 

CHAPTER  XXX 
The  Thirteen  Become  United  States 196 

Stories: — Without  a  Single  Hoop  to  Hold  Us  Together — "Let 
Us  Know  the  Worst  at  Once" — Washington's  Word  Was 
Law-  --"Thirteen  Sovereignties  Pulling  against  Each  Other!" 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

— The  Patient  President  of  the  Constitutional  Convention — 
"I  Almost  Despair  of  Seeing  a  Favorable  Issue" — "Little 
Short  of  a  Miracle!  " — "The  Best  That  Could  Be  Obtained" 
— Thirteen  a  Magic  Number  in  History. 

CHAPTER  XXXI 
Launching  the  Ship  of  State 208 

Stories: — The  First  President  Unanimously  Elected  on  the  First 
Ballot — President-elect  Washington's  Farewell  to  His 
Mother — The  First  President-elect  on  His  Way  to  New  York 
— Song  of  the  Girls  Strewing  His  Path  with  Flowers — 
Ovation  at  New  York — Why  the  Inauguration  Was 
Delayed — A  National  Tribute  of  Affection — "Long  Live 
President  Washington !" — Part  of  the  First  Inaugural 
Address — Guide  the  "Ship  of  State"  Aright — Starting  the 
New  Government — Mrs.  Washington's  "Queenly  Drawing- 
rooms!" — Supreme  Court  and  Congress- -"  The  First  and 
Dearest  Wish  of  My  Heart" — "The  General  Always  Retires 
atf  Nine" — Why  Was  Jefferson  Secretary  of  State? — Ham- 
ilton versus  Jefferson — A  Very  Sensible  Rule — The  Country'* 
Credit — A  Virulent  Attack  of  Anthrax — "You  See  How 
Well  He  Bears  It" — Death  of  Washington's  Mother. 

CHAPTER  XXXII 
Visiting  the  Spates 230 

Stories: — Boston  Authorities  Quarrel  over  Receiving  the  Presi- 
dent— Governor  Hancock 's  Ludicrous  Call  on  the  President 
— ' '  I  Thought  You  Had  Been  Too  Long  in  My  Family  Not 
to  Know  " — Kissing  and  Kicking  for  Kissing — "Hail  Colum- 
bia, "  the  President's  March — The  First  Week  in  1790 — 
The  President's  "Speech"  and  a  Minor  "Message" — 
Exercises,  Addresses,  Levies  and  an  Aching  Tooth — 
Planning  and  Discussing  a  National  Capital — Resting 
on  Southern  Tour,  at  Mount  Vernon — "A  Long  Journey 
over  the  Devil's  Own  Roads" — The  Gallant  "Ladies'  Man" 
— "Gentlemen,  We  Are  Punctual  Here" — "Hearty  Fits  of 
Laughter" — Table  of  Events,  1786  to  1790. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 

The  National  Capital  Removed  to  Philadelphia 249 

Stories: — Removing     to     Philadelphia — The     Pagoda,     Lustre, 


vi  CONTENTS 


Franklin  Stoves,  Chariot, and  Mangle — Rather  "Plain  and 
Elegant "  than  ' '  Rich  and  Elegant " — Secretary  Humphreys' 
Poetic  License — Lafayette  Presents  the  Key  of  the 
Bastile — The  First  Division  into  Parties — The  Discharging 
of  Reuben  Rouzy  and  His  Debt — "His  Horse  Levies "- 
"Such  an  Example  of  Luxury  and  Extravagance!" — 
"Here!" — Fact,  Tact  and  Fiction — General  St.  Clair  Made 
Commander-in-chief — Planning  and  Building  "the  Presi- 
dent's Palace" — How  the  President  Received  the  News — 
The  Same  Scene  Described  Thirty  Years  Later. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 
His  Second  Term 268 

Stories: — After  a  Long  and  Painful  Conflict  of  Feelings — From 
Washington's  Second  Inaugural — Reading  His  Opening 
Address  to  Congress — "The  Proceedings  of  a  Person  Un- 
fortunately Minister  Plenipotentiary" — The  National 
Government  Removes  to  Germantown  on  Account  of 
Yellow  Fever — Washington's  Wrath  over  the  Ribaldry  of 
the  Press — "That  Rascal  Freneau" — "  Ten  Thousand  Peo- 
ple Threatened  to  Drag  Washington  out  of  His  House" 
— The  Jay  Treaty  a  Benefit  to  to  the  West — Noble 
Reply  to  Jefferson  —  A  Dinner  at  the  Vice-President's 
at  Richmond  Hill — How  the  President  Would  Encourage 
Robeit  Fulton — "You  Are  Just  a  Man!" — Publishing  the 
Farewell  Address — More  Farewell  Addresses — An  Affecting 
Scene — ' '  If  There  Ever  Was  a  Period  of  Rejoicing,  This  Is 
the  Moment!  " 

CHAPTER  XXXV 
The  Sage  of  Mount  Vernon 288 

Stories: — Only  a  Man  after  All — Neighbor,  Business  Man  and 
Juryman — "Mr.  Stuart  Is  Right" — "A  Great  Deal  of  My 
Work  Is  Done  while  Others  Sleep" — Washington  and  the 
Federal  City — "What  Would  You  Have  Been,  Meesther 
Washington?" — "Ah,  Lee,  You  Are  a  Funny  Fellow!" — 
"Dabs  about  in  Every  Hole  and  Corner" — Physical 
Proportions  of  Washington — How  He  Was  Dressed — What 
He  Ate — ' '  Laughing  until  Tears  Rolled  down  His  Face  " — 
Advice  in  a  Love  Affair — A  Letter  to  Kosciuszko — ' '  Marriage 
the  Most  Interesting  Event" — "I  May  Be  Looking  in 


CONTENTS  vii 


PAGE 

Doomsday  Book" — Washington  as  a  Joker — "What  Has 
Not  Been  Done  within  the  Last  Twenty  Years  by  Us " — 
"I  Should  Not  Intrench  Myself  under  Cover  of  Age  " — 
Preparing  for  War  with  France — "A  Very  Complete 
Tumble" — "The  Recollection  of  Those  Happy  Moments.  " 
Table  of  Events  of  the  La?t  Ten  Years  of  the  i8th 
Century. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
"First  in  the  Hearts  of  His  Countrymen" 310 

Stories: — Washington's  Secretary's  Account  of  the  General's  Last 
Illness — Bled  by  an  Overseer — Bled  and  Dosed  by  Three 
Doctors — His  Last  Will  and  Other  Papers — Further  Details 
Not  in  Lear's  Diary — His  Last  Words — The  Last  Sad 
Arrangements — Preparations  for  the  Funeral — The  Faith- 
ful Secretary  after  the  Funeral — Washington's  Most  Vicious 
Enemy — Some  of  His  Worst  Admirers — Washington's 
Nurses — The  Greatest  Man  Had  There  Been  No  Revo- 
lution— The  Sublimest  Figure  in  American  History — Wash- 
ington the  Property  of  All  Mankind — Man,  Soldier,  Hero, 
Statesman . 

Words  of  Washington 330 

Index 339 

Special  Acknowledgments 359 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PART  II 


Washington's  Last  Farewell  to  His  Mother Frontispiece 

The  Trumbull  Portrait  of  Washington Facing  Page  13 

First  Meeting  of  Washington  with  Hamilton "  "  29 

Secret  Prayer  at  Valley  Forge "  "  35 

"Captain  Molly"  beside  Her  Husband's  Gun,  in  the 

Battle  of  Monmouth "  "  57 

Portraits  of  the  Two  Traitors,  Benedict  Arnold  and 

Charles  Lee "  "  65 

Arnold  Urges  Andre*  to  Hide  the  Message  in  His  Boot  "  "  87 

"Whom  Can  We  Trust  Now?  " "  "  91 

Andrd  Listening  to  His  Death  Warrant "  "  97 

Arnold  and  His  Wife  in  England "  "  101 

Four  Foreign  Champions  of  Liberty:  Lafayette,  Roch- 

ambeau,  Kosciuszko,  and  Steuben "  "  115 

The  Surrender  of  Cornwallis "  "  131 

Two  Romantic  Heroes  of  the  Revolution:  Generals 

Francis  Marion  and  ("Mad")  Anthony  Wayne  ...  "  "  153 

Two  Pages  from  Washington's  Private  Expense  Book.  "  "  163 

Washington  Resigning  His  Commission "  "  167 

Portrait  of  Washington  in  1785 "  "  188 

Three  Pillars  of  the  New  Republic:  Robert  Morris, 

Thomas  Jefferson,  and  John  Adams "  "  198 

Washington  Taking  the  First  Oath  as  President "  "  212 

Portrait  of  Washington,  by  Rembrandt  Peale "  "  236 

Two  Busts  of  Washington,  by  Houdon  and  Ceracchi. .  .  "  "  252 

An  Unfamiliar  Portrait,  by  Wertmuller 260 

Gilbert  Stuart's  Portrait  of  Martha  Washington "  "  288 

The  Death  of  Washington "  "  3 l6 

Equestrian  Statue  of  Washington,  by  H.  K.  Brown,  in 

Union  Square,  New  York "  "  3*8 


CHAPTER  XIX 
GENERAL  GATES  AND  BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER 

A  Double  Feint 

Just  before  sailing  from  New  York  Howe  sent  a  letter 
to  Burgoyne  which  he  carefully  arranged  should  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Washington,  for  he  gave  it  to  be  carried  by  a 
patriot  prisoner  whom  he  released  and  paid  a  handsome 
sum  of  money,  as  if  he  really  believed  that  such  a  person 
would  prove  a  faithful  messenger.  In  this  letter  he  said 
that  he  was  making  a  feint  at  sea  to  the  southward,  but 
that  his  real  intention  was  to  sail  to  Boston,  and  from 
there  assist  Burgoyne  at  Albany. 

This  letter  was  itself  a  feint ;  Howe's  ships  disappeared 
in  the  hot  July  haze  that  overhung  the  ocean,  and  for  a 
week  nothing  more  was  heard  of  him.  A  Connecticut 
newspaper  printed  an  advertisement  offering  a  reward  for 
a  lost  general. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution   Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  335. 

.Outnumbered,  Beaten,  and  Caught,  Burgoyne  Surrenders 

Whatever  his  feelings  may  have  been  in  regard  to  the 
command  of  the  northern  department,  Washington  made 
no  change  in  his  own  course  after  Gates  had  been  appointed. 
He  knew  that  Gates  was  at  least  harmless,  and  not  likely 
to  block  the  natural  course  of  events.  He  therefore  felt 
free  to  press  his  own  policy  without  cessation,  and  without 
apprehension.  He  took  care  that  Lincoln  and  Arnold 
should  be  there  to  look  after  the  New  England  militia,  and 
he  wrote  to  Governor  Clinton,  in  whose  energy  and  courage 
he  had  great  confidence,  to  rouse  up  the  men  of  New  York. 
He  suggested  the  points  of  attack,  and  at  every  moment 


12  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

advised  and  counseled  and  watched,  holding  all  the  while 
a  firm  grip  on  Howe.  Slowly  and  surely  the  net,  thus 
painfully  set,  tightened  around  Burgoyne.  The  New 
Englanders  whipped  one  division  at  Bennington,  and  the 
New  Yorkers  shattered  another  at  Oriskany  and  Fort 
Schuyler.  The  country  people  turned  out  in  defense  of 
their  invaded  homes  and  poured  into  the  American  camp. 
Burgoyne  struggled  and  advanced,  fought  and  retreated. 
Gates,  stupid,  lethargic,  and  good-natured,  did  nothing, 
but  there  was  no  need  of  generalship;  and  Arnold  was 
there,  turbulent  and  quarrelsome,  but  full  of  daring;  and 
Morgan,  too,  equally  ready ;  and  they  and  others  did  all  the 
necessary  fighting. 

Poor  Burgoyne,  a  brave  gentleman,  if  not  a  great  gen- 
eral, had  the  misfortune  to  be  a  clever  man  in  the  service 
of  a  stupid  administration,  and  he  met  the  fate  usually 
meted  out  under  such  circumstances  to  men  of  ideas.  Howe 
went  off  to  the  conquest  of  Philadelphia,  Clinton  made 
a  brief  burning  and  plundering  raid  up  the  river,  and  the 
northern  invasion,  which  really  had  meaning,  was  left  to 
its  fate.  It  was  a  hard  fate,  but  there  was  no  escape.  Out- 
numbered, beaten,  and  caught,  Burgoyne  surrendered.  If 
there  had  been  a  fighting  man  at  the  head  of  the  American 
army,  the  British  would  have  surrendered  as  prisoners  of 
war,  and  not  on  conditions.  Schuyler,  we  may  be  sure, 
whatever  his  failings,  would  never  have  let  them  off  so  easily. 
But  it  was  sufficient  as  it  was.  The  wilderness,  and  the 
militia  of  New  York  and  New  England  swarming  to  the 
defense  of  their  homes,  had  done  the  work.  It  all  fell  out 
just  as  Washington  had  foreseen  and  planned,  and  England, 
despising  her  enemy  and  their  commander,  saw  one  of  her 
armies  surrender,  and  might  have  known,  if  she  had  had  the 
wit,  that  the  colonies  were  now  lost  forever.  The  Revolution 
had  been  saved  at  Trenton ;  it  was  established  at  Saratoga. 
In  one  case  it  was  the  direct,  in  the  other  the  indirect,  work 
of  Washington. 

George  Washington    Henry  Cabot  Lodge.  Vol.  I,  p.  204. 


Engraved  from   the  Painting  by  John  Trumbull. 

A  FAMOUS  PORTRAIT  OF  WASHINGTON 


BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER  13 


Could  Not  Avoid  Being  a  Gentleman 

While  the  two  armies  were  making  faces  at  each  other 
from  works  only  a  musket-shot  apart,  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
ascended  the  Hudson  from  New  York,  outwitted  Putnam, 
and  captured  the  three  forts  near  Peekskill  that  constituted 
the  defenses  of  the  river.  Putnam  intercepted  a  dispatch 
from  Clinton  to  Burgoyne  announcing  his  success  and 
approach.  Had  this  word  reached  Burgoyne,  that  officer 
would  never  have  capitulated.  Rome  was  once  saved  by 
geese;  in  the  autumn  of  1777  America  was  saved  by  an 
emetic,  for  the  intercepted  dispatch  was  obtained  from  the 
stomach  of  a  spy,  who  had  swallowed  it,  by  a  dose  of 
medicine  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

Two  days  before  the  interception  of  this  dispatch 
Burgoyne  again  moved  to  the  attack.  He  found  his  match, 
for  Gates,  although  an  unscrupulous  scoundrel,  was  an  able 
soldier.  Burgoyne's  right  was  turned,  and  Arnold,  dashing 
to  the  field  alone  in  spite  of  Gates's  efforts  to  prevent  him, 
assumed  command  in  front  of  the  enemy's  center  and 
broke  it.  Burgoyne,  repulsed  and  attempting  to  retreat, 
found  himself  in  a  day  or  two  surrounded  on  all  sides  but 
one,  toward  which  he  dared  not  move,  and  he  had  pro- 
visions for  only  three  days,  so  he  summoned  his  officers 
to  talk  about  a  surrender.  Their  deliberations  were  mate- 
rially hastened  by  an  American  cannon-shot  that  swept 
across  the  table  around  which  they  were  seated. 

Extorting  honorable  terms  from  Gates,  Burgoyne 
surrendered  at  Saratoga  on  the  i7th  of  October,  the  gain 
to  the  Americans,  besides  glory  and  prisoners,  being  a  most 
desirable  assortment  of  artillery,  muskets,  ammunition,  and 
military  stores.  The  most  astonishing  fact  connected  with 
the  affair,  however,  was,  that  Gates  behaved  like  a  gentle- 
man to  those  in  his  power;  which  was  of  rare  occurrence 
in  his  American  career.  Even  in  this  respect  he  was  cast 
in  the  shade  by  Schuyler,  who  made  his  house  in  Albany 


i4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Burgoyne's  home,  although  a  few  days  before  the  surrender 
Burgoyne  had  completely  destroyed  Schuyler's  beautiful 
home  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson. 

Washington  learned  of  the  defeat  of  Burgoyne  by 
hearsay;  Gates  seemed  to  think  that  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army  was  not  of  importance  enough  to  merit 
a  special  dispatch,  so  he  reported  only  to  Congress.  This 
discourtesy  did  not  prevent  Washington's  writing  to  Gates: 
"I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  congratulate  you  on  the 
signal  success  of  the  army  under  your  command,"  and 
declaring  the  victory  "  an  event  that  does  the  highest  honor 
to  the  American  arms."  Instead  of  calling  his  lieutenant 
sharply  to  account  for  not  reporting  in  proper  form,  he 
merely  said,  "  I  can  not  but  regret  that  a  matter  of  such 
magnitude,  and  so  interesting  to  our  general  operations, 
should  have  reached  me  by  report  only,  or  through  the 
channel  of  letters  not  bearing  that  authenticity  which  the 
importance  of  it  required,  and  which  it  would  have  received 
by  a  line  under  your  signature  stating  the  simple  fact.  " 

If  the  commander-in-chief  imagined  that  Gates  would 
be  affected  to  decency  by  such  language,  he  was  a  very  bad 
judge  of  human  nature ;  the  only  effect  of  the  letter  was  to 
prove  that,  even  under  extreme  provocation  and  insult, 
Washington  could  not  avoid  being  a  gentleman. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  158. 

An  Event  of  Infinite  Importance 

The  surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army  was  an  event 
of  infinite  importance  to  the  republican  cause  beyond  its 
immediate  results.  Hitherto,  during  the  war,  the  prepon- 
derance of  successes  had  been  on  the  side  of  the  British; 
and  there  were  doubtful  minds  and  trembling  hearts  every- 
where among  the  true  friends  of  the  cause,  to  whom  the 
idea  of  deliverance  of  the  colonists  appeared  almost  chimer- 
ical. 

The  events  on  the  Brandywine  were  not  calculated  to 


BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER  15 

inspire  hope,  even  in  the  most  hopeful;  and  all  eyes  were 
turned  anxiously  to  the  army  of  the  North.  Every  breath 
of  rumor  from  Saratoga  was  listened  to  with  eagerness ;  and 
when  the  victory  was  certified,  a  shout  went  up  all  over  the 
land — from  the  furrow,  and  workshops,  and  marts  of  con- 
merce,  from  the  pulpit,  from  provincial  halls  of  legislation, 
from  partisan  camps,  and  from  the  shattered  ranks  of  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  American  armies,  at  White- 
marsh.  The  bills  of  Congress  rose  twenty  per  cent,  in  value ; 
capital  came  forth  from  its  hiding-places;  the  x  militia  of 
the  country  were  inspirited,  and  more  hopeful  hearts  every- 
where prevailed. 

The  Congress,  overjoyed  by  the  event,  forgot  their 
own  dignity;  and  when  Major  Wilkinson,  Gates'  bearer  of 
despatches  to  that  body,  appeared  at  their  door,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  legislative  floor,  and  allowed  verbally  to  pro- 
claim •  in  the  ear  of  that  august  assembly. 

"The  whole  British  army  have  laid  down  their  arms 
at  Saratoga;  our  own,  full  of  vigor  and  courage,  expect 
your  orders;  it  is  for  your  wisdom  to  decide  where  the 
country  may  still  have  need  of  their  services. ' ' 

In  the  ecstasy  of  the  hour  the  commander-in-chief 
was  overlooked  and  almost  forgotten ;  and  the  insult  of  the 
elated  Gates,  in  omitting  to  send  his  despatches  to  his  chief 
was  allowed  to  pass  unrebuked. 

Beyond  the  Atlantic  the  effect  of  this  victory  was  also 
very  important.  In  the  British  Parliament  it  gave  strength 
to  the  opposition,  and  struck  the  ministerial  party  with 
dismay.  "You  may  swell  every  expense  and  every  effort, 
still  more  extravagantly,"  thundered  Chatham,  as  he 
leaned  upon  his  crutches. and  poured  forth  a  torrent  of  elo- 
quent invective  and  denunciation.  "You  may  pile  and  ac- 
cumulate every  assistance  you  can  buy  or  borrow;  traffic 
and  barter  with  every  little  pitiful  German  prince  that 
sells  and  sends  his  subjects  to  the  shambles  of  a  foreign 
power;  your  efforts  are  forever  vain  and  impotent;  doubly 


1 6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

so  from  this  mercenary  aid  on  which  you  rely,  for  it  irritates 
to  an  incurable  resentment  the  minds  of  your  enemies.  To 
overrun  with  the  mercenary  sons  of  rapine  and  plunder, 
devoting  them  and  their  possessions  to  the  rapacity  of  hire- 
ling cruelty !"  .  .  . 

By  this  victory,  unaided  as  the  republicans  were  by 
any  foreign  help  or  encouragement  of  much  importance, 
their  prowess  was  placed  in  the  most  favorable  light  before 
the  eyes  of  continental  Europe.  France  now  listened  with 
respect  to.  the  overtures  for  aid  made  by  the  American 
commissioners.  Spain,  the  states  general  of  Holland,  the 
prince  of  Orange,  Catherine  of  Russia,  and  even  Ganganelli 
(Pope  Clement  the  Fourteenth),  all  of  whom  feared  and 
hated  England  because  of  her  increasing  puissance  in  arms, 
commerce,  and  diplomacy,  thought  and  spoke  kindly  of  the 
struggling  Americans.  And  on  the  sixth  of  February 
following,  France  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the 
United  States,  and  entered  into  a  treaty  of  friendship  and 
commerce,  and  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive,  with 
them. 

Washington  and  the  American  Republic   Benson  J.  Lossing,  Vol.  II,  p.  539. 

A  Letter  about  Germantown  and  Burgoyne 
(To  John  Augustine  Washington.} 

"  Philadelphia  County,  18  October,  1777. 
"DEAR  BROTHER, 

"  Your  kind  and  affectionate  Letters  of  the  2  ist  of  Septr. 
&  2d  Inst.  came  safe  to  hand. 

"  When  my  last  to  you  was  dated  I  know  not ;  for  truly 
I  can  say,  that  my  whole  time  is  so  much  engrossed,  that 
I  have  scarcely  a  moment,  but  sleeping  ones  for  relaxation, 
or  to  indulge  myself  in  writing  a  friend.  The  anxiety  you 
have  been  under,  on  acct.  of  this  army,  I  can  easily  conceive. 
Would  to  God  there  had  been  less  cause  for  it ;  or  that  our 


BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER  17 


situation  at  present  was  such  as  to  promise  much  from  it . 

"  But  for  a  thick  Fog,  which  rendered  it  so  infinitely 
dark  at  times  as  not  to  distinguish  friend  from  Foe  at  the 
distance  of  thirty  yards,  we  should,  I  believe,  have  made 
a  decisive  and  glorious  day  of  it.  But  Providence  or  some 
unaccountable  something  designed  it  otherwise;  for  after 
we  had  driven  the  Enemy  a  mile  or  two,  after  they  were 
in  the  utmost  confusion  and  flying  before  us  in  most  places, 
after  we  were  upon  the  point,  (as  it  appeared  to  every  body,) 
of  grasping  a  compleat  victory,  our  own  troops  took  fright 
and  fled  with  precipitation  and  disorder.  How  to  acct  for 
this  I  know  not;  unless,  as  I  before  observed,  the  Fog 
represented  their  own  Friends  to  them  for  a  Reinforcement 
of  the  Enemy,  as  we  attacked  in  different  Quarters  at  the 
same  time,  and  were  about  closing  the  wings  of  our  army 
when  this  happened.  One  thing,  indeed,  contributed  not 
a  little  to  our  misfortune,  and  that  was  want  of  ammunition 
on  the  right  wing,  which  began  the  Engagement,  and  in  the 
course  of  two  hours  and  forty  minutes,  which  time  it  lasted, 
had,  (many  of  them)  expended  the  forty  Rounds,  that  they 
took  into  the  Field.  After  the  Engagement  we  removed 
to  a  place  about  twenty  miles  from  the  Enemy,  to  collect 
our  Forces  together,  to  take  care  of  our  wounded,  get  fur- 
nished with  necessaries  again,  and  be  in  a  better  posture, 
either  for  offensive  or  defensive  operations.  We  are  now 
advancing  towards  the  Enemy  again,  being  at  this  time 
within  twelve  miles  of  them. 

"  Our  loss  in  the  late  action  was,  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing,  about  one  thousand  men,  but  of  the  missing,  many, 
I  dare  say,  took  advantage  of  the  times,  .and  deserted. 
This  we  certainly  know,  that  the  Hospital  at 
Philadelphia  &  several  large  Meeting  Houses,  are  filled  with 
the  wounded  besides  private  Houses  with  the  Horses.  In  a 
word  it  was  a  bloody  day.  Would  to  Heaven  I  could  add, 
that  it  had  been  a  more  fortunate  one  for  us. 

"  Our  distress  on  acct.  of  Cloathing  is  great,  and  in  a  little 


1  8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

time  must  be  very  sensibly  felt,  unless  some  expedient  can 
be  hit  upon  to  obtain  them. 

"  I  very  sincerely  congratulate  you  on  the  change  in 
your  Family.  Tell  the  young  couple,  after  wishing  them 
joy  of  their  union,  that  it  is  my  sincere  hope,  that  it  will 
be  as  happy  and  lasting  as  their  present  joys  are  boundless. 
The  Enclosed  Letter  of  thanks  to  my  sister  for  her  elegant 
present  you  will  please  to  deliver  ;  and,  with  sincere  affection 
for  you  all,  I  am  &c. 

"P.  S.  I  had  scarce  finished  this  Letter  when  by  ex- 
press from  the  State  of  New  York  I  received  the  Important 
and  glorious  news  which  follows:  — 

"  'Albany  igth  Octr.,  1777. 

"  '  Last  night  at  8  o'clock  the  capitulation  whereby  Gen- 
eral Burgoyne  &  whole  Army  surrendered  themselves 
Prisoners  of  War,  was  signed  and  this  Morning  they  have 
to  march  out  towds.  the  River  above  Fish  Creek  with  the 
Honours  of  War  (and  there  ground  their  Arms)  they  are 
from  thence  to  be  marched  to  Massachusetts  bay. 

"  '  We  congratulate  you  on  this  happy  event,  &  remain 
&c. 

CLINTON.' 


"  I  most  devoutly  congratulate  you,  my  country,  and 
every  well  wisher  to  the  cause  on  this  signal  stroke  of  Provi- 
dence. Yrs.  as  before," 

[GEORGE.] 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  92. 

"My  Tender-hearted  Hyenas,  Go  Forth!" 

Even  had  the  loyalist  feeling  on  the  Vermont  frontier  of 
New  York  been  far  stronger  than  it  really  was,  Burgoyne 
had  done  much  to  alienate  or  stifle  it  bv  his  ill-advised 


BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER  19 

employment  of  Indian  auxiliaries.  For  this  blunder  the 
responsibility  rests  mainly  with  Lord  North  and  Lord 
George  Germaine.  .  .  .  The  slaughter  of  aged  men, 
of  women  and  children  and  unresisting  prisoners,  was 
absolutely  prohibited;  and  "on  no  account,  or  pretense,  or 
subtlety,  or  prevarication, "  were  scalps  to  be  taken  from 
wounded  or  dying  men.  An  order  more  likely  to  prove 
efficient  was  one  which  provided  a  reward  for  every  savage 
who  should  bring  his  prisoners  to  camp  in  safety.  To  these 
injunctions,  which  must  have  inspired  them  with  pitying 
contempt,  the  chiefs  laconically  replied  that  they  had 
"sharpened  their  hatchets  upon  their  affections,"  and  were 
ready  to  follow  their  "great  white  father." 

The  employment  of  savage  auxiliaries  was  indignantly 
denounced  by  the  opposition  in  Parliament,  and  when  the 
news  of  this  speech  of  Burgoyne's  reached  England  it  was 
angrily  ridiculed  by  Burke,  who  took  a  sounder  view  of  the 
natural  instincts  of  the  red  man.  "Suppose,"  said  Burke, 
"that  there  was  a  riot  on  Tower  Hill.  What  would  the 
keeper  of  his  majesty's  lions  do?  Would  he  not  fling  open 
the  dens  of  the  wild  beasts,  and  address  them  thus?  'My 
gentle  lions,  my  humane  bears,  my  tender-hearted  hyenas, 
go  forth!  But  I  exhort  you,  as  you  are  Christians  and 
members  of  civilized  society,  to  take  care  not  to  hurt  any 
man,  woman  or  child!'  The  House  of  Commons  was 
convulsed  over  this  grotesque  picture;  and  Lord  North, 
to  whom  it  seemed  irresistibly  funny  to  hear  an  absent  man 
thus  denounced  for  measures  he  himself  had  originated,  sat 
choking  with  laughter,  while  tears  ran  down  his  great  fat 
cheeks. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske  Vol.  I,  p.  275. 

With  Washington  at  White  Marsh. 

Early  in  the  succeeding  spring,  say  1777,  the  States 
were  called  upon  by  Congress  for  a  quota  of  militia,  as  the 


2o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

British  fleet  with  their  army  left  New  York,  their  sup- 
posed destination  being  the  Delaware  or  Chesapeake  Bay. 
They  soon  entered  the  latter  and  proceeded  up  to  its  head 
(where  I  had  a  full  view  of  the  ships  at  anchor)  and  landed 
the  army  near  the  head  of  Elk  and  proceeded  by  slow 
marches.  They  were  met  by  our  gallant  little  army,  much 
inferior  [in  numbers]  at  different  points,  and  were  annoyed, 
as  occasion  offered,  but  [as  it  was]  impossible  to  check  them 
successfully,  they  soon  took  possession  of  this  city.  [Phila- 
delphia.] 

General  Washington  chose  White  Marsh,  eighteen 
miles  distant,  for  his  headquarters.  It  was  my  fortune 
once  more  to  take  the  field,  being  then  an  ensign  in  a  com- 
pany of  militia  (commanded  by  my  brother).  [I  was] 
ordered  out  and  marched  with  the  company  to  join  the 
army  at  White  Marsh,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Germantown. 
I  was  often  in  scouting  parties,  and  on  one  occasion  came 
down  in  the  night  with  four  hundred  men  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  colonel  within  three  miles  of  the  city— almost 
near  enough  to  hear  the  British  sentinels  (their  line  extend- 
ing from  the  river  Delaware  to  the  Schuylkill,  two  miles 
north  of  the  city,  on  the  Germantown  road),  making  a 
march,  during  the  night,  of  twenty-five  miles  by  computa- 
tion, from  headquarters,  down  through  Jenkintown,  and 
back  to  headquarters.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was 
to  intercept  British  officers,  who,  it  was  said,  frequently 
sallied  out  at  night  to  regale  themselves  in  the  country. 
We  were  disappointed,  however,  in  our  expectations,  but 
a  report  of  the  expedition  made  them  shy  of  such  experi- 
ments. After  the  campaign  closed  the  militia  were  dis- 
charged and  returned  to  their  homes  as  before.  This  cured 
me  of  a  soldier's  life,  being  sick -the  greater  part  of  the 
winter.  I  might  observe  that  I  was  as  well  entitled  to  a 
pension  as  other  soldiers  and  officers,  but  as  I  never  claimed 
a  pension,  nor  did  I  ever  intend  to  do  so,  though  often 
advised,  I  did  not  consider  it  an  object,  or  worthy  of  notice, 


BURGOYNE'S  SURRENDER  21 


or  of  the  trouble  it  might  require.  I  freely  renounced  all 
claim,  and  my  country  was  welcome  to  my  services,  what- 
ever they  might  have  been  worth. 

Reminiscences,  in  manuscript,  of  Cornelius  Comegys,  through  the  courtesy  of  his  great- 
grandson,  G.  Albert  Smyth. 

Pennsylvania  Remonstrates  against  Going  into  Winter  Quarters 

"  It's  a  very  pleasing  circumstance  to  the  division  under 
my  command,"  writes  Varnum,  "that  there  is  a  proba- 
bility of  their  marching;  three  days  successively  we  have 
been  destitute  of  bread.  Two  days  we  have  been  entirely 
without  meat.  The  men  must  be  supplied  or  they  cannot 
be  commanded." 

In  fact,  a  dangerous  mutiny  had  broken  out  among 
the  famishing  troops  in  the  preceding  night,  which  their 
officers  had  had  great  difficulty  in  quelling. 

Washington  instantly  wrote  to  the  President  of  Congress 
on  the  subject.  "I  do  not  know  from  what  cause  this 
alarming  deficiency,  or  rather  total  failure  of  supplies 
arises;  but  unless  more  vigorous  exertions  and  better 
regulations  take  place  in  that  line  (the  commissaries'  depart- 
ment) immediately,  the  army  must  dissolve.  I  have  done 
all  in  my  power  by  remonstrating,  by  writing,  by  ordering 
the  commissaries  on  this  head,  from  time  to  time;  but 
without  any  good  effect,  or  obtaining  more  than  a  present 
scanty  relief.  Owing  to  this,  the  march  of  the  army  has 
been  delayed  on  more  than  one  interesting  occasion,  in  the 
course  of  the  present  campaign;  and  had  a  body  of  the 
enemy  crossed  the  Schuylkill  this  morning,  as  I  had  reason 
to  expect,  the  divisions  which  I  ordered  to  be  in  readiness 
to  march  and  meet  them  could  not  have  moved.  " 

Scarce  had  Washington  despatched  this  letter,  when 
ke  learnt  that  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  had  addressed 
a  remonstrance  to  Congress  against  his  going  into  winter 
quarters,  instead  of  keeping  in  the  open  field.  This  letter, 
received  in  his  forlorn  situation,  surrounded  by  an  unhoused, 


tt  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

ccantily  clad,  half-starved  army,  shivering  in  the  midst  of 
December's  snow  and  cold,  put  an  end  to  his  forbearance, 
and  drew  from .  him  another  letter  to  the  President  of 
Congress,  dated  on  the  23d,  which  ....  gives  the 
difficulties  of  the  situation,  mainly  caused  by  unwise  and 
intermeddling  legislation. 

Life  of  George  Washington  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  387. 


American  victory  at  Princeton Jan.  3,  1777 

Winter  quarters  at  Morristown I777 

Lafayette's  first  meeting  with  Washington August,  1777 

British    victorious   at    Chad's    Ford,    Brandywine   Creek, 

Sept.  17,  1777 

British  victory  at  Germantown Oct.  4,  1777 

Burgoyne  surrenders  to  Gates  at  Saratoga Oct.   17,  1777 

Washington  encamps  at  Valley  Forge Dec.  n,  1777 


The  State  of  Affairs  That  Winter 

There  was  no  town  at  Valley  Forge,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  provide  some  shelter  for  the  soldiers  other 
than  the  canvas  tents  which  served  in  the  field  in  summer. 
It  was  the  middle  of  December  when  the  army  began  prep- 
arations for  the  winter,  and  Washington  gave  directions 
for  the  building  of  the  little  village.  The  men  were  divided 
into  parties  of  twelve,  each  party  to  build  a  hut  to  accomo- 
date  that  number;  and  in  order  to  stimulate  the  men, 
Washington  promised  a  reward  of  twelve  dollars  to  the 
party  in  each  regiment  which  finished  its  hut  first  and  most 
satisfactorily.  And  as  there  was  some  difficulty  in  getting 
boards,  he  offered  a  hundred  dollars  to  any  officer  or  soldier 
who  should  invent  some  substitute  which  would  be  as 
cheap  as  boards  and  as  quickly  provided. 

Each  hut  was  to  be  fourteen  feet  by  sixteen,  the  sides, 
ends,  and  roof  to  be  made  of  logs,  and  the  sides  made 
tight  with  clay.  There  was  to  be  a  fireplace  in  the  rear  of 
each  hut,  built  of  wood,  but  lined  with  clay  eighteen  inches 
thick.  The  walls  were  to  be  six  and  a  half  feet  high.  Huts 
were  also  to  be  provided  for  the  officers,  and  to  be  placed 
in  the  rear  of  those  occupied  by  the  troops.  All  these  were 
to  be  regularly  arranged  in  streets.  A  visitor  to  the  camp 
when  the  huts  were  being  built  wrote  of  the  army:  "They 
appear  to  me  like  a  family  of  beavers,  every  one  busy ;  some 
carrying  logs,  others  mud,  and  the  rest  plastering  them 
together."  It  was  bitterly  cold,  and  for  a  month  the  men 
were  at  work,  making  ready  for  the  winter. 

But  in  what  sort  of  condition  were  the  men  themselves 

(23) 


24  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

when  they  began  this  work?  Here  is  a  picture  of  one  of 
those  men  on  his  way  to  Valley  Forge:  "  His  bare  feet  peep 
through  his  worn-out  shoes,  his  legs  nearly  naked  from  the 
tattered  remains  of  an  only  pair  of  stockings,  his  breeches 
not  enough  to  cover  his  nakedness,  his  shirt  hanging  in 
strings,  his  hair  disheveled,  his  face  wan  and  thin,  his  look 
hungry,  his  whole  appearance  that  of  a  man  forsaken  and 
neglected."  And  the  snow  was  falling.  This  was  one  of 
the  privates.  The  officers  were  scarcely  better  off.  One 
was  wrapped  "in  a  sort  of  dressing-gown  made  of  an  old 
blanket  or  woolen  bed-cover."  The  uniforms  were  torn 
and  ragged ;  the  guns  were  rusty ;  a  few  only  had  bayonets ; 
the  soldiers  carried  their  powder  in  tin  boxes  and  cow-horns. 

To  explain  why  this  army  was  so  poor  and  forlorn  would 
be  to  tell  a  long  story.  It  may  be  summed  up  briefly  in 
these  words:  The  army  was  not  taken  care  of  because 
there  was  no  country  to  take  care  of  it.  There  were  thirteen 
States,  and  each  of  these  States  sent  troops  into  the  field, 
but  all  the  States  were  jealous  of  one  another.  There  was 
a  Congress,  which  undertook  to  direct  the  war,  but  all  the 
members  of  Congress  coming  from  the  several  States  were 
jealous  of  one  another.  They  were  agreed  on  only  one  thing— 
that  it  was  not  prudent  to  give  the  army  too  much  power.  It 
is  true  that  they  had  once  given  Washington  large  authority, 
but  they  had  given  it  only  for  a  short  period.  They  were 
very  much  afraid  that  somehow  the  army  would  rule  the 
country,  and  yet  they  were  trying  to  free  the  country  from 
the  rule  of  England.  But  when  they  talked  about  freeing 
the  country,  each  man  thought  only  of  his  own  State.  The 
first  fervor  with  which  they  had  talked  about  a  common 
country  had  died  away;  there  were  some  very  selfish  men 
in  Congress,  who  could  not  be  patriotic  enough  to  think  of 
the  whole  country. 

The  truth  is,  it  takes  a  long  time  for  the  people  of  a 
country  to  feel  that  they  have  a  country.  Up  to  the  time 
of  the  war  for  independence,  the  people  in  America  did 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE  25 

not  care  much  for  one  another  or  for  America.  They  had 
really  been  preparing  to  be  a  nation,  but  they  did  not  know 
it.  They  were  angry  with  Great  Britain,  and  they  knew 
they  had  been  wronged.  They  were  therefore  ready  to 
fight ;  but  it  does  not  require  so  much  courage  to  fight  as  to 
endure  suffering  and  to  be  patient. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  171. 

How  They  Kept  the  Sentry  Warm 

When  Washington  realized  this  he  determined  not  to 
rely  on  Congress  any  longer,  and,  taking  matters  into  his 
own  hands,  he  proceeded  to  fight  famine  and  cold  as  vig- 
orously as  he  had  fought  the  enemy.  His  experience  as  a 
planter  now  stood  him  in  good  stead,  for  he  had  had  to  build 
houses  and  mills,  and  provide  for  a  large  number  of  laborers 
in  his  farming  days,  and  the  knowledge  he  had  gained  in 
this  way  enabled  him  to  make  Valley  Forge  a  habitable, 
if  not  a  comfortable,  encampment.  Under  his  directions 
log  huts  were  erected,  prizes  being  offered  those  soldiers  who 
built  the  best  and  neatest  shelters ;  streets  were  planned  and 
laid  out,  and  most  important  of  all,  General  Greene  was 
persuaded  to  serve  as  Quartermaster-general  and  procure 
the  necessary  food  and  clothing. 

Greene  was  essentially  a  fighting  general,  and  the  idea 
of  abandoning  all  chance  of  glory  and  distinction  in  the 
field  and  undertaking  the  dull  work  of  seeing  that  the  troops 
had  something  to  eat  and  wear  was  hateful  to  him.  "  His- 
tory never  heard  of  a  Quartermaster-general ! "  he  exclaimed 
in  disgust,  but  he  unselfishly  laid  aside  his  own  wishes  and, 
taking  up  his  disagreeable  duties,  performed  them  so  well 
that  if  history  never  heard  of  a  Quartermaster-general  before 
his  day,  it  has  remembered  one  ever  since.  Under  his 
energetic  management  the  country  was  scoured  for  pro- 
visions, all  the  available  material  for  blankets  and  clothing 
was  procured,  and  after  weeks  of  desperate  work  the  most 
pressing  needs  of  the  troops  were  met. 


26  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

But  despite  his  utmost  exertions  Washington  was 
forced  to  witness  frightful  sufferings  among  his  men.  There 
were  no  proper  accommodations  for  the  wounded,  and  star- 
vation and  exposure  soon  caused  diseases  that  killed  strong 
men  by  the  score  and  spread  illness  throughout  his  camp, 
until  at  times  there  were  scarcely  enough  men  fit  for  duty 
to  guard  the  breastworks.  Nevertheless,  the  resolute 
commander  struggled  to  keep  his  forces  together,  sharing 
all  their  hardships  and  devoting  himself  night  and  day  to 
bettering  their  condition.  Inspired  by  his  splendid  courage 
and  example,  the  soldiers  bore  their  privations  almost 
without  murmuring,  each  occupant  of  a  hut  contributing 
part  of  his  clothing  whenever  one  of  his  "bunkies"  was 
ordered  on  sentry  duty,  and  otherwise  showing  an  unselfish- 
ness rarely  equaled  in  the  history  of  war.  During  all  that 
cruel  winter  when  the  huts  lay  almost  buried  in  snow,  and 
the  ragged  sentries  often  froze  to  death  at  their  posts,  and 
each  day  was  a  living  death,  there  were  practically  no 
desertions  among  the  native-born  Americans,  and  compar- 
atively few  of  those  who  were  born  elsewhere  yielded  to  the 
temptation  of  seeking  comfort  with  the  enemy.  No  mil- 
itary chieftain  ever  received  a  finer  tribute  than  this. 

On  the  Trail  of  Washington,  Frederick  Trevor  Hill,  p.  172. 

Thanking  "Light-horse  Harry" 

On  one  occasion  there  was  a  flurry  at  the  most  advanced 
post,  where  Captain  Henry  Lee  ("Light-horse  Harry")  with 
a  few  of  his  troops  was  stationed.  He  had  made  himself 
very  formidable  to  the  enemy  by  harassing  their  foraging 
parties.  An  attempt  was  made  to  surprise  him.  A  party 
of  about  two  hundred  dragoons,  taking  a  circuitous  route 
in  the  night,  came  upon  him  by  daybreak.  He  had  but  a 
few  men  with  him  at  the  time,  and  took  post  in  a  large  store- 
house. His  scanty  force  did  not  allow  a  soldier  for  each 
window.  The  dragoons  attempted  to  force  their  way  into 
the  house.  There  was  a  warm  contest.  The  dragoons  were 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 


bravely  repulsed,  and  sheered  off,  leaving  two  killed  and 
four  wounded.  "So  well  directed  was  the  opposition," 
writes  Lee  to  Washington,  "that  we  drove  them  from  the 
stables,  and  saved  every  horse.  We  have  got  the  arms, 
some  cloaks,  etc.,  of  their  wounded.  The  enterprise  was 
certainly  daring,  though  the  issue  of  it  was  very  ignominious. 
I  had  not  a  soldier  for  each  window. ' ' 

Washington,  whose  heart  evidently  warmed  more  and 
more  to  this  young  Virginian  officer,  the  son  of  his  "lowland 
beauty, ' '  not  content  with  noticing  his  exploit  in  general 
orders,  wrote  a  note  to  him  on  the  subject,  expressed  with 
unusual  familiarity  and  warmth. 

"  My  dear  Lee, "  writes  he,  "  although  I  have  given  you 
my  thanks  in  the  general  orders  of  this  day,  for  the  late 
instance  of  your  gallant  behavior,  I  cannot  resist  the  inclina- 
tion I  feel  to  repeat  them  again  in  this  manner.  I  needed 
no  fresh  proof  of  your  merit  to  bear  you  in  remembrance. 
I  waited  only  for  the  proper  time  and  season  to  show  it; 
those  I  hope  are  not  far  off.  .  ...  Offer  my  sincere 
thanks  to  the  whole  of  your  gallant  party,  and  assure  them, 
that  no  one  felt  pleasure  more  sensibly,  or  rejoiced  more 
sincerely  for  your  and  their  escape,  than  your  affectionate,  " 
etc. 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  437. 

"Who  Are  You,  Anyhow?" 

During  that  terribly  trying  winter  at  Valley  Forge, 
Washington,  in  the  worst  weather,  went  frequently  about 
the  miserable  camp  by  himself,  to  see  how  his  poor  soldiers 
were  faring,  and  happened  late,  one  bitterly  cold  afternoon, 
to  come  upon  "an  awkward  squad,"  engaged  in  building 
a  log  hut,  under  the  angry  derisive  direction  of  an  insolent 
young  lieutenant,  lately  arrived  at  winter  quarters.  After 
listening  for  a  few  moments  the  General,  shocked  at  such 
brutality,  called  out  authoritatively,  yet  quietly : 


28  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


"Don't  abuse  your  men,  lieutenant!  Can't  you  see 
that  they  are  half  frozen?" 

Failing  to  recognize  his  great  superior  officer  in  the  tall 
figure,  wrapped  in  a  long  military  cloak,  and  standing  under 
a  dark  pine,  in  the  snowy  twilight,  the  young  subaltern 
shouted  back — "  Mind  your  blanked  business !  Who  are  you 
anyhow?" 

Then  the  tall  figure  under  the  pine  grew  yet  taller,  and 
like  a  thunder-burst  came  the  answer: 

"  I  am  General  George  Washington,  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Continental  armies,  .  .  .  and  I  order  you 
under  arrest." 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  18. 

The  Kind  of  Man  He  Really  Was 

Abler  pens  than  mine  have  put  on  record  the  sorrowful 
glory  of  that  dreadful  camp-ground  by  Valley  Forge.  It 
is  strongly  charactered  in  those  beseeching  letters  and  des- 
patches of  the  almost  heart-broken  man,  who  poured  out 
his  grief  in  language  which  even  today  no  man  can  read 
unmoved.  To  us  he  showed  only  a  gravely  tranquil  face, 
which  had  in  it  something  which  reassured  those  starving 
and  naked  ones.  Most  wonderful  is  it,  as  I  read  what  he 
wrote  to  inefficient,  blundering  men,  to  see  how  calmly 
he  states  our  pitiful  case,  how  entirely  he  controls  a  nature 
violent  and  passionate  beyond  that  of  most  men.  He  was 
scarcely  in  the  saddle  as  commander  before  the  body  which 
set  him  there  was  filled  with  dissatisfaction. 

I  think  it  well  that  we  know  so  little  of  what  went  on 
within  the  walls  of  Congress.  The  silence  of  history  has 
been  friendly  to  many  reputations.  There  need  be  no 
silence  as  to  this  man,  nor  any  concealment,  and  there  has 
been  much.  I  would  have  men  see  him  as  we  saw  him  in  his 
anger,  when  no  language  was  too  strong;  in  his  hour  of 
serene  kindliness,  when  Hamilton,  the  aide  of  twenty,  was 
"my  boy, "  in  this  starving  camp,  with  naked  men  shivering 


FIRST  MEETING  OF  WASHINGTON  WITH  HAMILTON 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE  29 

in  their  blankets  by  the  fires,  when  "  He  pitied  those  miseries 
he  could  neither  relieve  nor  prevent."  Am  I  displeased  to 
think  that  although  he  laughed  rarely  he  liked  Colonel 
Scammel's  strong  stories,  and  would  be  amused  by  a  song 
such  as  no  woman  should  hear? 

This  serene,  inflexible,  decisive  man,  biding  his  hour, 
could  be  then  the  venturesome  soldier,  willing  to  put  every 
fortune  on  the  chance,  risking  himself  with  a  courage  that 
alarmed  men  for  his  life.  Does  any  but  a  fool  think  that 
he  could  have  been  all  these  things  and  not  have  had  in  him 
the  wild  blood  of  passion?  He  had  a  love  for  fine  clothes 
and  show.  He  was,  I  fear,  at  times  extravagant,  and  as 
I  'have  heard,  could  not  pay  his  doctor's  bill,  and  would 
postpone  that,  and  send  him  a  horse  and  a  little  money  to 
educate  his  godson,  the  good  doctor's  son.  As  to  some  of 
his  letters,  they  contain  jests  not  gross,  but  not  quite  fit 
for  grave  seigniors  nor  virginibus  puerisque.  There  is  one 
to  Lafayette  I  have  been  shown  by  the  marquis.  It  is 
most  amusing,  but  —  oh,  fie!  Was  he  religious?  I  do  not 
know.  Men  say  so.  He  might  have  been,  and  yet  have  had 
his  hours  of  ungoverned  rage,  or  other  forms  of  human 
weakness.  Like  a  friend  of  mine,  he  was  not  given  to  speech 
concerning  his  creed. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  359. 

Not  Every  Man  a  Hero  at  Valley  Forge 
29  [May,  1778] 

Officers          f  Brig'  Genl  Hu^i*1^011 
umcers  u  CQ]O  Burr_Maj0r  Still 

for  duty      <  -D  •     j    AT   •      c    i 
^  Brigade  Mai  or  Seely 

Tomorrow     T  f  J         d  -£       a  r>  •      i 

[  Inspector  from  2a  Penna  Brigade 


At  a  Gen1.  Court  Martial,  Col°.  Chambers  President  the 
25  instant.  Cap1.  Medaras,  of  the  North  Carolina  Brigade, 
tried  for  forgery  —  after  mature  deliberation  the  Court  are 


3o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

of  the  opinion  that  Cap*.  Madaras  is  guilty  of  the  charge 
exhibited  against  him  but  as  he  could  not  have  been  actuated 
by  motives  self  interested  or  injurious  to  Cap1.  Jones,  the 
Gentleman  whose  name  he  signed,  and  as  he  had  before 
been  perfectly  acquainted  with  Cap1.  Jones's  sentiments, 
the  Court  (thinking  his  crime,  tho'  he  is  yet  truly  blame- 
worthy, alleviated  by  these  circumstances)  do  sentence  him 
to  be  reprimanded  in  General  Orders. 

The  Commander  in  Chief  approves  the  Sentence,  and 
is  much  concerned  to  find  that  an  Officer  in  this  Army, 
should  presume  to  sign  a  Brother  Officer's  name  without 
his  permission.  Cap*.  Medaras  is  ordered  to  be  released 
from  his  arrest. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

On  the  night  of  the  2  7th  inst.  James  Barry  an  Inhabi- 
tant was  robbed  of  £160  Cont1.  Money,  13  hard  dollars,  a 
diamond  ring,  silver  spoons,  buckles  gold  buttons,  a  sword, 
and  some  valuable  men's  &  women's  wearing  apparell,  & 
many  other  articles.  Fifty  Dollars  reward  will  be  given  to 
any  person  that  will  discover  the  robbers,  that  the  Owner 
may  recover  his  articles.  All  Officers  are  desired  to  order 
the  strictest  enquiry  to  be  made  that  the  Villains  may  be 
brought  to  justice,  as  it  is  supposed  they  belong  to  the 
Army 

3oth  [May]  1778 
Officers  for  Duty  to  Morrow 

Brigadier  Patterson  Col1.  Bradley — B :  M :  Marshall 
Inspector  from  Poor's  Brigade 

At  a  Brigade  Gen1.  Court  Martial  May  27th  1778  Lieu1 
Co1.  Cropper,  president  Cap1.  Hull  of  the  i5th  V:  Reg1, 
tried  istly  being  so  far  Ellivated  with  Liquor  when  on  the 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE      31 

parade  for  Exercising,  on  the  14th  Ins*,  as  rendered  him 
inCapable  in  doing  his  Duty  with  precission.  2dly  for 
accusing  Lieu1.  Sam1.  Beans  Jones  of  not  deposing  the  truth 
when  Called  on  Both  to  give  Evidence  against  him  on  the 
1 8th.  Inst.  acquited  of  the  ist.  Charge  but  found  guilty 
of  the  2  d  &  Sentenced  to  be  Reprimanded  by  the  Command- 
ing Officer  of  the  Brigade  in  presence  of  all  the  Officers 
therein — -Cap*.  Hull  is  Ordered  to  be  released  from  his 
Arrest. — At  a  Gen1.  Court  Martial  May  28th  78,  Co1.  Cham- 
bers President  Ensign  James  Walker  of  Co.1  Guests  Reg1, 
tried  i?tly  Deserting  a  Waggon  he  had  in  his  Charge  at  the 
Appearance  of  one  of  our  Light  Horse  and  loosing  his  party 
in  his  flight.  2dly  for  telling  several  falshoods  in  Relating 
the  Events  when  Returning  to  Camp  Unanimously  found 
guilty  of  the  Charges  Exhibited  against  him,  being  breaches 
of  5th  Article  18  Sec*,  of  2ist  Article  14th  Section  of  the 
Articles  of  •  War,  and  Sentenced  to  be  Cashiered — The 
Commander  in  Chief  Approves  the  Sentence  and  Orders 
it  to  take  place  Immediatly. 

Orderly  Book  of  General  George  Washington,  Kept  at  Valley  Forge.  18  May-n  June,  1778. 
pp.  17  to  22. 

'Tor  This  Example  of  Christian  Charity" 

One  day  a  Tory,  who  was  well  known  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, was  captured  and  brought  into  camp.  His  name  was 
Michael  Witt  man,  and  he  was  accused  of  having  carried  aid 
and  information  to  the  British  in  Philadelphia.  He  was 
taken  to  West  Chester  and  there'  tried  by  court-martial. 
It  was  proved  t.hat  he  was  a  very  dangerous  man  and  that 
he  had  more  than  once  attempted  to  do  great  harm  to  the 
American  army.  He  was  pronounced  guilty  of  being  a  spy 
and  sentenced  to  be  hanged. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  before  that  set  for  the  execu- 
tion, a  strange  old  man  appeared  in  Valley  Forge.  He  was 
a  small  man  with  long,  snow-white  hair  falling  over  his 
shoulders.  His  face,  although  full  of  kindliness,  was  sad- 


32  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

looking  and  thoughtful;  his  eyes,  which  were  bright  and 
sharp,  were  upon  the  ground  and  lifted  only  when  he  was 
speaking. 

His  name  was  announced.    . 

"Peter  Miller?"  said  Washington.  "Certainly.  Show 
him  in  at  once." 

The  old  man  went  in. 

"General  Washington,  I  have  come  to  ask  a  great 
favor  of  you, "  he  said,  in  his  usual  kindly  tones. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  grant  you  almost  anything,"  said 
Washington,  "for  we  surely  are  indebted  to  you  for  many 
favors.  Tell  me  what  it  is. " 

"I  hear,"  said  Peter,  "that  Michael  Wittman  has 
been  found  guilty  of  treason  and  that  he  is  to  be  hanged 
at  Turk's  Head  tomorrow.  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to 
pardon  him." 

Washington  started  back,  and  a  cloud  came  over  his 
face.  "That  is  impossible,"  he  said.  "Wittman  is  a  bad 
man.  He  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  betray  us.  He  has 
even  offered  to  join  the  British  and  aid  in  destroying  us. 
In  these  times  we  dare  not  be  lenient  with  traitors ;  and  for 
that  reason,  I  cannot  pardon  your  friend. " 

"Friend!"  cried  Peter.  "Why,  he  is  no  friend  of 
mine.  He  is  my  bitterest  enemy.  He  has  persecuted  me 
for  years.  He  has  even  beaten  me  and  spit  in  my  face, 
knowing  full  well  that  I  would  not  strike  back.  Michael 
Wittman  is  no  friend  of  mine." 

Washington  was  puzzled.  "And  still  you  wish  me  to 
pardon  him?"  he  asked. 

"  I  do, "  answered  Peter.  "  I  ask  it  of  you  as  a  great 
personal  favor." 

"Tell  me,"  said  Washington,  with  hesitating  voice, 
"why  is  it  that  you  thus  ask  the  pardon  of  your  worst 
enemy?" 

"I  ask  it  because  Jesus  did  as  much  for  me,"  was  the 
old  man's  brief  answer. 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE       33 

Washington  turned  away  and  went  into  another  room. 
Soon  he  returned  with  a  paper  on  which  was  written  the 
pardon  of  Michael  Wittman. 

.  "My  dear  friend,"  he  said,  as  he  placed  it  in  the  old 
man's  hands,  "  I  thank  you  for  this  example  of  Christian 
charity. ' ' 

It  was  a  matter  of  fifteen  miles,  by  the  shortest  road, 
from  Valley  Forge  to  West  Chester,  which  was  then  known 
as  Turk's  Head,  and  the  road  at  that  time  was  almost 
impassable.  The  evening  was  already  far  gone,  and  Michael 
Wittman  was  to  be  hanged  at  sunrise  in  the  morning.  How 
was  the  pardon  to  reach  him  in  time  to  save  his  life?  .  .«id  ,v 

Old  and  feeble  though  he  was,  he  began  to  run.  From 
the  top  of  the  hill  a  welcome  sight  appeared.  The  straggling 
village  of  Turk's  Head  was  just  before  him,  and  the  sun 
had  not  yet  risen.  He  saw  a  commotion  in  the  street; 
men  were  hurrying  toward  the  village  green;  a  body  of 
soldiers  was  already  there,  drawn  up  in  order  beneath  a 
tree. 

Summoning  all  his  strength,  Peter  ran  on  and  soon 
entered  the  village.  Close  to  the  tree  stood  Michael  Witt- 
man with  his  hands  tied  behind  him.  A  strong  rope  was 
dangling  from  one  of  the  branches.  In  another  minute  the 
sun  would  begin  to  peep  over  the  snow-clad  hills.  An 
officer  had  already  given  orders  to  place  the  rope  around  the 
traitor's  neck.  Peter  Miller,  still  running,  shouted  with  all 
his  might.  The  officer  heard  and  paused.  The  crowd  looked 
around  and  wondered.  Panting  and  out  of  breath,  Peter 
came  up,  waving  a  paper  in  his  hand. 

"A  pardon!  a  pardon!"  he  gasped.  "A  pardon  from 
General  Washington. ' ' 

The  officer  took  the  paper  and  read  it  aloud. 

"  Unbind  the  prisoner  and  let  him  go, "  he  commanded. 

Peter  Miller  had  saved  the  life  of  his  enemy,  perhaps 
of  his  only  enemy.  Michael  Wittman,  with  his  head  bowed 
upon  his  breast,  went  forth  a  free  man  and  a  changed  man. 


34  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  power  of  Christian  charity  had  rescued  him  from  a 
shameful  death,  and  the  cause  of  patriotism  need  have  no 
further  fears  of  being  harmed  by  him. 

An  American  Book  of  Golden  Deeds.  James  Baldwin,  p.  loa. 

"I  Can  Curse  Dem  No  More !" 

After  the  interview  with  Congress,  Steuben  at  once 
repaired  to  Valley  Forge,  where  Washington  was  not  slow 
in  recognizing  his  ability;  nor  was  Steuben,  on  the  other 
hand,  at  a  loss  to  perceive,  in  the  ragged  and  motley  army 
which  he  passed  in  review,  the  existence  of  soldierly  qualities 
which  needed  nothing  so  much  as  training.  Disregarding 
the  English  prejudice  which  looked  upon  the  drilling  of 
soldiers  as  work  fit  only  for  sergeants,  he  took  musket  in 
hand  and  showed  what  was  to  be  done.  Alert  and  untiring, 
he  worked  from  morning  till  night  in  showing  the  men  how 
to  advance,  retreat,  or  change  front  without  falling  into 
disorder, — how  to  perform,  in  short,  all  the  rapid  and 
accurate  movements  for  which  the  Prussian  army  had 
become  so  famous.  It  was  a  revelation  to  the  American 
troops.  Generals,  colonels,  and  captains  were  fired  by  the 
contagion  of  his  example  and  his  tremendous  enthusiasm, 
and  for  several  months  the  camp  was  converted  into  a 
training-school,  in  which  masters  and  pupils  worked  with 
incessant  and  furious  energy.  Steuben  was  struck  with  the 
quickness  with  which  the  common  soldiers  learned  their 
lessons.  He  had  a  harmlessly  choleric  temper,  which  was 
part  of  his  overflowing  vigor,  and  sometimes,  when  drilling 
an  awkward  squad,  he  would  exhaust  his  stock  of  French 
and  German  oaths,  and  shout  for  his  aide  to  come  and  curse 
them  in  English.  "Viens,  mon  ami  Walker,"  he  would 
say, — "viens,  mon  bon  ami.  Sacrebleu!  Gott  vertamn 
de  gaucherie  of  dese  badauts.  Je  ne  puis  plus;  I  can  curse 
dem  no  more!"  Yet  in  an  incredibly  short  time,  as  he 
afterward  wrote,  these  awkward  fellows  had  acquired  a 
military  air,  had  learned  how  to  earn'-  their  arms,  and  knew 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 


how  to  form  into  column,  deploy,  and  execute  manoeuvres 
with  precision. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  53. 

His  Secret 

With  his  lean,  ragged  levies,  Undismayed, 

He  crouched  among  the  vigilant  hills ;  a  show 
To  the  disdainful,  heaven-blinded  foe. 

Unlauded,  unsupported,  disobeyed, 

Thwarted,  maligned,  conspired  against,  betrayed — 
Yet  nothing  could  unheart  him.     Wouldst  thou  know 
His  secret?     There,  in  that  thicket  on  the  snow, 

Washington  knelt  before  his  God  and  prayed. 

Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  Canon  R.  G.  Sutherland,  Washington's  Birthday,  Edited 
by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler,  p.  44. 

How  the  British  Spent  the  Winter 

The  army's  peaceful  sojourn  in  the  town  from  Septem- 
ber 26,  1777,  to  June  18,  1778,  was  a  source  of  great  enjoy- 
ment and  an  unrivaled  opportunity  for  social  advancement 
to  the  loyalists.  It  was  the  harvest  of  their  lives.  Even 
a  wicked  rebellion  could  have  advantages.  One  of  the  loy- 
alist ladies  has  left  some  enthusiastic  and  rather  good 
verses  on  the  delights  of  that  winter.  • 

It  was  a  strange  scene  in  the  good  old  Quaker  town 
with  the  rebel  prisoners  eating  rats  in  the  Walnut  Street 
jail,  while  the  commissary  of  prisoners  grew  rich,  and  extrav- 
agance, speculation,  gambling,  and  European  indifference 
to  morals  filled  the  respectable  plain  brick  houses.  A 
Hessian  officer  held  the  bank  at  the  game  of  faro  and  made 
a  considerable  fortune  by  ruining  young  Englishmen,  many 
of  whom  were  obliged  to  sell  their  commissions  and  go  home 
penniless.  The  officers  made  no  attempt  to  keep  their 
mistresses  in  the  background.  One  of  them  drove  in  her 
carriage  with  footmen  up  and  down  the  lines  at  a  review 
of  the  troops,  dressed  in  a  costume  that  was  a  feminine 
imitation  of  the  uniform  of  her  paramour's  regiment. 


3  6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Howe's  plan,  as  Lord  Chatham  said  in  Parliament, 
was  merely  to  occupy  stations.  Washington  followed  the 
same  plan  he  had  found  to  work  well  enough  the  previous 
winter  which  Howe  had  spent  in  New  York.  He  fortified 
himself  with  intrenchments  on  some  high  ground  at  Valley 
Forge,  about  twenty-miles  away,  very  much  in  the  same 
way  that  during  the  last  winter  he  had  occupied  Morristown 
Heights.  He  could  there  play  the  long  waiting  game  with 
Howe  as  well  as  anywhere  else.  Howe  could  have  attacked 
him  at  almost  any  time  at  Valley  Forge  and  destroyed  or 
captured  his  starving  army.  Howe  had  twenty-thousand 
men.  Washington  had  nine  thousand,  counting  the  sick, 
starved,  and  half -naked,  and  by  March  three  thousand  had 
deserted  to  the  British,  and  so  many  others  were  sick  or  at 
home  that  there  were  only  four  thousand  men  at  Valley 
Forge. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  347 

The  Mischianza 

[We  forbear  to  give  the  fulsome  descriptions  of  the  Mischianza  fur- 
nished by  various  pens,  and  will  content  ourselves  with  the  following, 
from  the  pen  of  a  British  writer  who  was  present.  It  illustrates  suffi- 
ciently the  absurdity  of  the  scene.] 

"All  the  colors  of  the  army  were  placed  in  a  grand 
avenue  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  lined  with  the  king's 
troops,  between  two  triumphal  arches,  for  the  two  brothers, 
the  Admiral  Lord  Howe  and  the  General  Sir  William  Howe, 
to  march  along  in  pompous  procession,  followed  by  a  num- 
erous train  of  attendants,  with  seven  silken  Knights  of  the 
Blended  Rose,  and  seven  more  of  the  Burning  Mountain, 
and  fourteen  damsels  dressed  in  the  Turkish  fashion,  to  an 
area  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  square,  lined  also  with 
the  king's  troops;  for  the  exhibition  of  a  tilt  and  tourna- 
ment, or  mock  fight  of  old  chivalry,  in  honor  of  those  two 
heroes.  On  the  top  of  each  triumphal  arch  was  a  figure 
of  Fame  bespangled  with  stars,  blowing  from  her  trumpet, 
in  letters  of  light,  Tes  lauriers  sont  immortels,  (Thy  laurels 


THE  WINTER  AT  VALLEY  FORGE       37 

are  immortal).  On  this  occasion,  according  to  the  same 
writer,  "men  compared  the  importance  of  Sir  William's 
services  with  the  merit  he  assumed,  and  the  gravity  with 
which  he  sustained  the  most  excessive  praise  and  adulation. " 

The  unfortunate  Major  Andre,  at  that  time  a  captain, 
was  very  efficient  in  getting  up  this  tawdry  and  somewhat 
effeminate  pageant.  He  had  promoted  private  theatricals 
during  the  winter,  and  aided  in  painting  scenery  and  devis- 
ing decorations.  He  wrote  a  glowing  description  of  the 
Mischianza,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  pronouncing  it  as  perhaps 
the  most  splendid  entertainment  ever  given  by  an  army  to 
their  general.  He  figured  in  it  as  one  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Blended  Rose.  In  a  letter  written  to  a  lady,  in  the  following 
year,  he  alludes  to  his  preparations  for  it  as  having  made 
him  a  complete  milliner,  and  offers  his  services  to  furnish 
her  supplies  in  that  department.  •••'  <: 

At  the  time  of  this  silken  and  mock  heroic  display,  the 
number  of  British  chivalry  in  Philadelphia  was  nineteen 
thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty,  cooped  up  in  a  manner 
by  an  American  force  at  Valley  Forge,  amounting,  according 
to  official  returns,  to  eleven  thousand  eight  hundred  men. 
Could  any  triumphal  pageant  be  more  ill-placed  and  ill- 
timed  ! 

Lift  of  Georgt  Washington,  Washington  Irving  Vol.  Ill,  p.  463. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  CONWAY  CONSPIRACY 

"Good  General,  Pluck  the  Moon  from  the  Sky !" 

The  germ  of  the  difficulties  was  to  be  found  where  we 
should  expect  it,  in  the  difference  between  the  men  of 
speech  and  the  man  of  action,  between  the  lawmakers  and 
the  soldier.  Washington  had  been  obliged  to  tell  Congress 
a  great  many  plain  and  unpleasant  truths.  It  was  part  of 
his  duty,  and  he  did  it  accordingly.  He  was  always  dignified, 
calm,  and  courteous^  but -he  had  an  alarmingly  direct  way 
with  him, 'especially  when  he  was  annoyed.  He  was  simple 
almost  to  bluntriess,  but  now  and  then  he  would  use  a  grave- 
irony  which  must  have  made  listening  ears  tingle.  Congress 
was  patriotic  and  well-intentioned,  and  on  the  whole  stood 
bravely  by  its  general,  but  it  was  unversed  in  war,  very 
impatient,  and  at  times  wildly  impracticable.  Here  is  a 
letter  which  depicts  the  situation,  and  the  relation  between 
the  general  and  his  rulers, -with  great  clearness.  March  14, 
1777,  Washington  Wrote  to  the  President: 

"Could  I  accomplish  the  important  objects  so  eagerly 
wished  by  Congress, — 'confining  the  enemy  within  their 
present  quarters,  preventing  their  getting  supplies  from  the 
country,  and  totally  subduing  them  before  they  are  rein- 
forced,'— I  should  be  happy  indeed.  But  what  prospect  or 
hope  can  there  be  of  my  effecting  so  desirable  a  work  at 
this  time?" 

We  can  imagine  how  exasperating  such  requests  and 
suggestions  must  have  been.  It  was  very  much  as  if  Con- 
gress had  said:  "Good  General,  bring  in  the  Atlantic  tides 
and  drown  the  enemy ;  or  pluck  the  moon  from  the  sky  and 
give  it  to  us,  as  a  mark  of  your  loyalty."  .  .  .  Sam 

(38) 


THE  CONWAY  CONSPIRACY 


Adams,  a  born  agitator  and  trained  politician,  unequaled 
almost-  in  our  history  as  an  organizer  and  manager  of  men, 
able,  narrow,  coldly  fierce,  the  man  of  the  town  meeting 
and  the  caucus,  had  no  possibility  of  intellectual  sympathy 
with  the  silent,  patient,  hard-gripping  soldier,  hemmed  with 
difficulties,  but  ever  moving  straight  forward  to  his  object, 
with  occasional  wild  gusts  of  reckless  fighting  passion. 
John  Adams,  too,  brilliant  of  speech  and  pen,  ardent, 
patriotic,  and  high-minded,  was,  in  his  way,  out  of  touch 
with  Washington.  Although  he  moved  Washington's  ap- 
pointment, he  began  almost  immediately  to  find  fault  with 
him,  an  exercise  to  which  he  was  extremely  prone.  .  v  ;.  . 
There  were  others,  too,  outside  New  England  who  were 
discontented,  and  among  them  Richard  Henry  Lee,  from 
the  General's  own  State.  He  was  evidently  critical  and 
somewhat  unfriendly  at  this  time,  although  the  reasons  for 
his  being  so  are  not  now  very  distinct.  Then  there  was 
Mr.  Clark  of  New  Jersey,  an  excellent  man,  who  thought 
the  General  was  invading  popular  rights  ;  and  to  him  might 
be  added  others  who  vaguely  felt  things  might  be  better 
than  they  were.  This  party,  adverse  to  Washington,  ob- 
tained the  appointment  of  Gates  to  the  northern  depart- 
ment, under  whom  the  army  won  a  great  victory,  and  they 
were  correspondingly  happy.  John  Adams  wrote  his  wife 
that  one  cause  of  thanksgiving  was  that  the  tide  had  not 
been  turned  by  the  commander-in-chief  and  southern 
troops,  for  the  adulation  would  have  been  intolerable; 
and  that  a  man  may  be  wise  and  virtuous  and  not  a 
deity. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  'Lodge,  Vol.  I.  p.  207 

He  Had  Long  Cherished  a  Secret  Hostility 

Washington  had  already  been  disgusted  by  the  over- 
weening presumption  of  Conway,  and  was  surprised  tc 
hear  that  his  application  was  likely  to  be  successful.  He 
wrote  on  the  iyth  of  October,  to  Richard  Henry  Lee,  then 


40  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

in  Congress,  warning  him  that  such  an  appointment  would 
be  as  unfortunate  a  measure  as  ever  was  adopted — one 
that  would  give  a  fatal  blow  to  the  existence  of  the  army. 
"Upon  so  interesting  a  subject,"  observes  he,  "I  must 
speak  plainly.  The  duty  I  owe  my  country,  the  ardent 
desire  I  have  to  promote  its  true  interests,  and  justice  to 
individuals,  require  this  of  me.  General  Con  way's  merit  as 
an  officer,  and  his  importance  in  this  army,  exist  more  in 
his  own  imagination  than  in  reality.  For  it  is  a  maxim  with 
him  to  leave  no  service  of  his  own  untold,  nor  to  want  any- 
thing which  is  to  be  obtained'  by  importunity.  ...  I  would 
ask  why  the  youngest  brigadier  in  the  service  should  be 
put  over  the  heads  of  the  oldest,  and  thereby  take  rank  and 
command  of  gentlemen  who  but  yesterday  were  his  seniors ; 
gentlemen  who,  as  I  will  be  bound  to  say  in  behalf  of  some 
of  them  at  least,  are  of  sound  judgment  and  unquestion- 
able bravery.  .  .  ..  This  truth  I  am  well  assured  of, 
that  they  will  not  serve  under  him.  I  leave  you  to  guess, 
therefore,  at  the  situation  this  army  would  be  in  at  so  im- 
portant a  crisis,  if  this  event  should  take  place. " 

This  opposition  to  his  presumptuous  aspirations,  at 
once  threw  Conway  into  a  faction  forming  under  the  aus- 
pices of  General  Mifflin.  This  gentleman  had  recently 
tendered  his  resignation  of  the  commission  of  major-general 
and  quartermaster-general  on  the  plea  of  ill  health,  but 
was  busily  engaged  in  intrigues  against  the  commander-in- 
chief ,  towards  whom  he  had  long  cherished  a  secret  hostility. 
Conway  now  joined  with  him  heart  and  hand,  and  soon 
became  so  active  and  prominent  a  member  of  the  faction 
that  it  acquired  the  name  of  Conway' s  Cabal.  The  object 
was  to  depreciate  the  military  character  of  Washington, 
in  comparison  with  that  of  Gates,  to  whom  was  attributed 
the  whole  success  of  the  northern  campaign.  Gates  was 
perfectly  ready  for  that  elevation.  .  He  was  intoxicated  by 
his  good  fortune,  and  seemed  to  forget  that  he  had  reaped 
where  he  had  not  sown,  and  that  the  defeat  of  Burgoyne 


THE  CONWAY  CONSPIRACY  41 

had  been  insured  by  plans  concerted  and  put  in  operation 
before  his  arrival  in  the  northern  department. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,   Vol.  Ill,  p.  349. 

The  Opposition's  High  Water  Mark 

In  the  midst  of  his  struggle  to  hold  the  Delaware  forts, 
and  of  his  efforts  to  get  back  his  troops  from  the  north,  a 
story  came  to  him  that  arrested  his  attention.  Wilkinson, 
of  Gates's  staff,  had  come  to  Congress  with  the  news  of  the 
surrender.  He  had  been  fifteen  days  on  the  road  and 
three  days  in  getting  his  papers  in  order,  and  when  it  was 
proposed  to  give  him  a  sword,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  canny 
Scot  as  he  was,  suggested  they  had  better  "gie  the  lad  a 
pair  of  spurs. "  This  thrust  and  some  delay  seem  to  have 
nettled  Wilkinson,  who  was  swelling  with  importance, 
and  although  he  was.  finally  made  a  brigadier-general,  he 
rode  off  to  the  north  much  ruffled.  In  later  days  Wilkin- 
son was  secretive  enough;  but  in  his  hot  youth  he  could 
not  hold  his  tongue,  and  on  his  way  back  to  Gates  he  talked. 
What  he  said  was  marked  and  carried  to  headquarters, 
and  on  November  Qth  Washington  wrote  to  Con  way: 

"A  letter  which  I  received  last  night  contained  the 
following  paragraph, — 'In  a  letter  from  General  Con  way 
to  General  Gates  he  says,  "  Heaven  has  determined  to  save 
your  country,  or  a  weak  general  and  bad  counsellors  would 
have  ruined  it."  I  am,  sir,  your  humble  servant,'"  etc. 

This  curt  note  fell  upon  Conway  with  stunning  effect. 
It  is  said  that  he  tried  to  apologize,  and  he  certainly  re- 
signed. As  to  Gates,  he  fell  to  writing  letters  filled  with 
expressions  of  wonder  as  to  who  had  betrayed  him,  and 
writhed  most  pitiably  under  the  exposure.  Washington's 
replies  are  models  of  cold  dignity,  and  the  calm  indiffer- 
ence with  which  he  treated  the  whole  matter,  while  holding 
Gates  to  the  point  with  relentless  grasp,  is  very  interesting. 
The  cabal  was  seriously  shaken  by  this  sudden  blow.  It 
must  have  dawned  upon  them  dimly  that  they  might  have 


42  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

mistaken  their  man,  and  that  the  silent  soldier  was  perhaps 
not  so  easy  to  dispose  of  by  an  intrigue  as  they  had  fancied. 
Nevertheless,  they  rallied,  taking  advantage  of  the  feeling 
in  Congress  created  by  Burgoyne's  surrender,  they  set  to 
work  to  get  control  of  military  matters'  The  board  of 
war  was  enlarged  to  five,  with  Gates  at  its  head  and  Mifflin 
a  member,  and,  thus  constituted,  it  proceeded  to  make 
Con  way  inspector-general,  with  the  rank  of  major-general. 
This,  after  Conway's  conduct,  was  a  direct  insult  to- Washing- 
ton, and  marks  the  highest  point  attained  by  his  opponents. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I.,  p.  214. 

The  "Cabal" 

When  they  turned  from  intrigue  to  action,  however, 
they  began  to  fail.  One  of  their  pet  schemes  was  the  con- 
quest of  Canada,  and  with  thic  object  Lafayette  was  sent 
to  the  lakes,  only  to  find  that  no  preparations  had  been 
made,  because  the  originators  of  the  idea  were  ignorant  and 
inefficient.  The  expedition  promptly  collapsed  and  was 
abandoned,  with  much  instruction  in  consequence  to  Con- 
gress and  the  people.  Under  their  control  the  commissariat 
also  went  hopelessly  to  pieces,  and  a  committee  of  Congress 
proceeded  to  Valley  Forge  and  found  that  in  this  direction, 
too,  the  new  managers  had  grievously  failed.  Then  the 
original  Conway  letter,  uncovered  so  unceremoniously  by 
Washington,  kept  returning  to  plague  its  author.  Gates's 
correspondence  went  on  all  through  the  winter,  and  with 
every  letter  Gates  floundered  more  and  more,  and  Wash- 
ington's replies  grew  more  and  more  freezing  and  severe. 
Gates  undertook  to  throw  the  blame  on  Wilkinson,  who  be- 
came loftily  indignant  and  challenged  him.  The  two  made 
up  their  quarrel  very  soon  in  a  ludicrous  manner,  but  Wil- 
kinson in  the  interval  had  an  interview  with  Washington, 
which  revealed  an  amount  of  duplicity  and  perfidy  on  the 
part  of  the  cabal,  so  shocking  to  the  former's  sensitive 
nature,  that  he  resigned  his  secretaryship  of  the  board  of 


43 


war  on  account,  as  he  frankly  said,  of  the  treachery  and 
falsehood  of  Gates.  Such  a  quarrel  of  course  hurt  the 
cabal,  but  it  was  still  more  weakened  by  Gates  himself, 
whose  only  idea  seemed  to  be  to  supersede  Washington  by 
slighting  him,  refusing  troops,  and  declining  to  propose  his 
health  at  dinner — methods  as  unusual  as  they  -were  feeble. 

The  cabal,  in  fact,  was  so  weak  in  ability  and  character 
that  the  moment  any  responsibility  fell  upon  its  members 
it  was  certain  to  break  down,  but  the  absolutely  fatal  ob- 
stacle to  its  schemes  was  the  man  it  aimed  to  overthrow. 
The  idea  evidently  was  that  Washington  could  be  driven 
to  resign. 

Thus  he  went  on  his  way  through  the  winter,  silent 
except  when  obliged  to  answer  some  friend,  and  always 
ready  to  meet  his  enemies.  When  Conway  complained  to 
Congress  of  his  reception  at  camp,  Washington  wrote  the 
president  that  he  was  not  given  to  dissimulation,  and  that 
he  certainly  had  been  cold  in  his  manner.  He  wrote  to 
Lafayette  that  slander  had  been  busy,  and  that  he  had  urged 
his  officers  to  be  cool  and  dispassionate  as  to  Conway,  adding, 
"I  have  no  doubt  that  everything  happens  for  the  best, 
that  we  shall  triumph  over  all  our  misfortunes,  and  in  the 
end  be  happy ;  when,  my  dear  Marquis,  if  you  will  give  me 
your  company  in  Virginia,  we  will  laugh  at  our  past  diffi- 
culties and  the  folly  of  others. "  But  though  he  wrote  thus 
lightly  to  his  friends,  he  followed  Gates  sternly  enough,  and 
kept  that  gentleman  occupied  as  he  drove  him  from  point 
to  point.  Among  other  things  he  touched  upon  Conway's 
character  with  sharp  irony,  saying,  "  It  is,  however,  greatly 
to  be  lamented  that  this  adept  in  military  science  did  not 
employ  his  abilities  in  the  progress  of  the  campaign,  in 
pointing  out  those  wise  measures  which  .were  calculated  to 
give  us  'that  degree  of  success  we  could  reasonably  expect!'  " 

Poor  Gates  did  not  find  these  letters  pleasant  reading, 
and  one  more  curt  note,  on  February  24th,  finished  the  con- 
troversy. By  that  time  the  cabal  was  falling  to  pieces,  and 


44  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

in  a  little  while  was  dispersed.  Wilkinson's  resignation 
was  accepted,  Mifflin  was  put  under  Washington's  orders, 
and  Gates  was  sent  to  his  command  in  the  north.  Con  way 
resigned  one  day  in  a  pet,  and  found  his  resignation  accepted 
and  his  power  gone  with  unpleasant  suddenness.  Then  he 
got  into  a  quarrel  with  General  Cadwalader  on  account  of 
his  attacks  on  the  commander-in-chief.  The  quarrel  ended 
in  a  duel.  Con  way  was  badly  wounded,  and  thinking 
himself  dying,  wrote  a  contrite  note  of  apology  to  Wash- 
ington, then  recovered,  left  the  country,  and  disappeared 
from  the  ken  of  history.  Thus  domestic  malice  and  the 
"bitter  party"  in  Congress  failed  and  perished.  They  had 
dashed  themselves  in  vain  against  the  strong  man  who  held 
firmly  both  soldiers  and  people. 

George  Washington.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  216 

"General  Gates  Exalted  on  the  Ruin  of  My  Reputation" 

In  a  letter  to  Gates,  Washington  intimated  in  his  own 
discreet,  but  always  forcible  English,  that  Con  way  was  "  a 
dangerous  incendiary,"  and  that  Gates  was  a  sneaking 
enemy  to  the  commander-in-chief,  both  of  which  intimations 
have  since  been  proved  entirely  accurate.  But  these  two 
men  were  not  alone  in  the  mischief  which,  through  attacks 
upon  Washington,  did  great  harm  to  the  patriot  cause. 

Gates  and  Conway  were  dangerous  principally  because, 
being  continually  in  the  Congressional  lobby,  they  organ- 
ized a  party  that  during  the  remainder  of  the  war  opposed 
Washington  with  that  mischievous  zeal  which  is  strong 
solely  because  of  its  ignorance.  Anonymous  letters,  abusing 
the  commander-in-chief,  were  sent  to  Congress,  to  Gover- 
nors of  States,  and  to  influential  private  citizens,  and 
Washington  was  accused  even  of  being  opposed  to  American 
independence.  Washington's  reply  was  principally  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Laurens,  President  of  Congress,  in  which  he  said: 
"  My  enemies  take  an  ungenerous  advantage  of  me.  They 
know  the  delicacy  of  my  situation,  and  that  motives  of 


THE  CON  WAY  CONSPIRACY  45 

policy  deprive  me  of  the  defense  I  might  otherwise  make 
against  their  insidious  attacks.  They  know  I  cannot  com- 
bat their  insinuations,  however  injurious,  without  disclosing 
secrets  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  moment  to  conceal. "  The 
purpose  of  the  cabal  was,  Washington  says,  "that  General 
Gates  was  to  be  exalted  on  the  ruin  of  my  reputation  and 
influence.  This  I  am  authorized  to  say  from  undeniable 
facts  in  our  possession." 

These  facts  Washington  never  disclosed;  modestly 
assuming  that  they  only  affected  him  personally,  he  seems 
to  have  considered  them  of  no  general  interest. 

Two  more  of  the  mere  nothings  that  Washington  had 
to  attend  to  were  the  disciplining  and  supplying  of  the  army. 
Conway,  the  Inspector-general,  and  Mifflin,  the  Quarter- 
master-general, had  been  so  busily  engaged  in  helping 
Gates  undermine  Washington  that  they  had  allowed  their 
official  duties  to  go  undone.  Contractors  were  profiting  by 
theft  and  jobbery,  as  contractors  always  do  when  un watched. 
Washington  made  Greene  Quartermaster-general  and  gave 
Conway's  position  to  Baron  Steuben,  who,  in  addition  to 
being  able  to  swear  in  three  languages  and  maintaining 
health  and  energy  without  drinking  rum,  possessed  in  a 
high  degree  every  soldierly  quality  that  his  new  position 
required.  Greene  also  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
Both  men  attended  strictly  to  business,  so  before  long,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  its  existence,  the  American  army  was 
fairly  drilled,  and  whatever  clothing,  food,  and  ammunition 
were  provided  for  it  reached  their  destination  and  were  put 
where  they  would  do  the  most  good. 

•  George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  167. 

"I  Mean  Not  to  Shrink  From  the  Cause" 

Gates  was  greatly  perplexed  to  know  what  to  do,  but 
he  finally  wrote  to  Washington  as  if  there  were  some  wretch 
who  had  been  stealing  letters  and  might  be  discovering  the 
secrets  of  the  American  leaders.  He  begged  Washington 


46  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

to  help  him  find  the  rascal.  Washington  replied,  givmg 
him  the  exact  manner  in  which  the  letter  came  into  his 
hands,  and  then  closed  with  a  few  sentences  that  showed 
Gates  clearly  that  he  had  lost  the  confidence  of  his  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

That  particular  occasion  passed,  but  presently  the  cabal 
showed  its  head  again,  this  time  working  through  Congress. 
It  secured  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of  War,  with  Gates 
at  the  head,  and  a  majority  of  members  from  men  who  were 
hostile  to  Washington.  Now,  they  thought,  Washington 
will  resign,  and  to  help  matters  they  spread  the  report  that 
Washington  was  about  to  resign.  The  general  check- 
mated them  at  once  by  a  letter  to  a  friend,  in  which  he 
wrote : — 

"To  report  a  design  is  among  the  arts  which  those 
who  are  .endeavoring  to  effect  a  change  are  practising  to 
bring  it  to  pass.  .  .  .  While  the  public  are  satisfied 
with  my  endeavors,  I  mean  not  to  shrink  from  the  cause. 
But  the  moment  her  voice,  not  that  of  faction,  calls  upon  me 
to  resign,  I  shall  do  it  with  as  much  pleasure  as  ever  the 
wearied  traveler  retired  to  rest." 

The  cabal  was  not  yet  defeated.  It  had  failed  by  round- 
about methods.  It  looked  about  in  Congress  and  counted 
the  disaffected  to  see  if  it  would  be  possible  to  get  a  major- 
ity vote  in  favor  of  a  motion  to  arrest  the  commander-in- 
chief.  So  at  least  the  story  runs  which,  from  its  nature, 
would  not  be  found  in  any  record,  but  was  whispered  from 
one  man  to  another.  The  day  came  when  the  motion  was 
to  be  tried;  the  conspiracy  leaked  out,  and  Washington's 
friends  bestirred  themselves.  They  sent  post-haste  for  one 
of  their  number,  Gouverneur  Morris,  who  was  absent  in 
camp ;  but  they  feared  they  could  not  get  him  in  time.  In 
their  extremity,  they  went  to  William  Duer,  a  member 
from  New  York,  who  was  dangerously  ill.  Duer  sent  for 
his  doctor. 

"Doctor,"  he  asked,  "can  I  be  carried  to  Congress?" 


THE  CONWAY  CONSPIRACY  47 

"  Yes,  but  at  the  risk  of  your  life,  "  replied  the  physician. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  I  should  expire  before  reaching 
the  place?"  earnestly  inquired  the  patient. 

"No,"  came  the  answer;  "but  I  would  not  answer  for 
your  leaving  it  alive." 

"Very  well,  sir.  You  have  done  your  duty  and  I  will 
do  mine!"  exclaimed  Duer.  "Prepare  a  litter  for  me;  if 
you  will  not,  somebody  else  will,  but  I  prefer  your  aid." 

The  demand  was  in  earnest,  and  Duer  had  already 
started  when  it  was  announced  that  Morris  had  come  direct 
from  the  camp  with  the  latest  news  of  what  was  going  on 
there.  His  vote  would  make  it  impossible  for  the  enemies 
of  Washington  to  carry  their  point ;  their  opportunity  was 
lost,  and  they  never  recovered  it. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  182. 

General  Conway's  Apology 

As  General  Conway  takes  no  further  part  in  the  events 
of  this  history,  we  shall  briefly  dispose  of  him.  Disap- 
pointed in  his  aims,  he  became  irritable  in  his  temper,  and 
offensive  in  his  manners,  and  frequently  indulged  in  acri- 
monious language  respecting  the  commander-in-chief,  that 
was  highly  resented  by  the  army.  In  consequence  of  some 
dispute  he  became  involved  in  a  duel  with  General  John 
Cadwalader,  in  which  he  was  severely  wounded.  Thinking 
his  end  approaching,  he  addressed  the  following  penitential 
letter  to  Washington. 

"PHILADELPHIA,    23  July,    1778. 

"  SIR: — I  find  myself  just  able  to  hold  the  pen  during  a 
few  minutes,  and  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
sincere  grief  for  having  done,  written,  or  said  anything  dis- 
agreeable to  your  Excellency.  My  career  will  soon  be  over, 
therefore  justice  and  truth  prompt  me  to  declare  my  last 
sentiments.  You  are  in  my  eyes  the  great  and  good  man. 
May  you  long  enjoy  the  love,  veneration,  and  esteem  of 


48  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

these  States,   whose  liberties  you  have  asserted  by  your 
virtues. 

"  I  am,  with  the  greatest  respect,  &c., 

"THOMAS    CONWAY." 

Contrary  to  all  expectations,  he  recovered  from  his 
wound;  but,  finding  himself  without  rank  in  the  army, 
covered  with  public  opprobrium,  and  his  very  name  become 
a  by-word,  he  abandoned  a  country  in  which  he  had  dis- 
honored himself,  and  embarked  for  France  in  the  course  of 
a  year. 

L*7»  of  George  Washington ,  Washington  Irving.  Vol.  Ill,  p.  456.  Note. 

No  Peace  for  Washington 

But  even  in  winter  quarters  there  was  no  peace  for 
Washington;  new  torments  developed  unexpectedly,  and 
one  of  the  largest  of  these  came  from  the  active  mind  of 
Washington's  much-admired  young  friend  Lafayette.  This 
irrepressible  youth  wanted  to  conquer  Canada  by  a  concerted 
movement,  in  five  parts,  by  the  Americans  and  French. 
His  plans  required  a  force  and  outlay  that  would  almost 
have  sufficed  to  capture  England,  but  its  very  bigness 
caused  Congress  to  delight  in  it  by  a  large  majority.  Some 
one  had  sense  enough  to  move  that  Washington  be  consulted ; 
the  motion  was  carried,  and  the  commander-in-chief  gave 
so  many  reasons,  all  political,  why  it  would  be  unwise  to 
exchange  neighbors  at  the  north,  should  the  movement 
succeed  and  France  claim  as  her  share  of  the  proceeds  her 
old  domain,  as  she  would  be  justified  in  doing,  that  the 
attractive  scheme  was  finally  abandoned. 

But  Congress  did  not  always  think  to  consult  Wash- 
ington, and  as  the  quality  of  the  members  deteriorated  as 
rapidly  as  is  usual  in  the  legislatures  of  all  countries  during 
time  of  war,  contracts  and  blunders  were  large  and  innu- 
merable. What  Washington  thought  of  the  alleged  honor- 
able body  may  be  inferred  from  a  letter  that  he  wrote  at 


THE  CONWAY  CONSPIRACY  49 

the  end  of  the  year,  to  the  speaker  of  the  Virginia  House  of 
Delegates:  "By  a  faithful  laborer  in  the  cause,  by  a  man 
who  is  daily  injuring  his  private  estate  without  the  smallest 
earthly  advantage  not  common  to  all  in  case  of  a  favorable 
issue  to  the  dispute,  by  one  who  wishes  the  prosperity  of 
America  most  devoutly,  but  sees  it,  or  thinks  he  sees  it, 
on  the  brink  of  ruin,  you  are'  besought  most  earnestly,  my 
dear  Colonel  Harrison,  to  exert  yourself  by  endeavoring  to 
rescue  your  country  by  sending  your  best  and  ablest  men  to 
Congress.  .  .  .  They  must  not  content  themselves  with 
the  enjoyment  pf  places  of  honor  or  profit  in  their  own 
State  while  the  common  interests  of  America  are  moldering 
and  sinking  into  irretrievable  ruin.  '.  .  If  I  were  to  be 
called  upon  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  times  and  of  men,  from 
what  I  have  seen,  heard,  and  in  part  know,  I  should  in  one 
word  say  that  idleness,  dissipation,  and  extravagance  seem 
to  have  laid  fast  hold  of  the  most  of  them ;  that  speculation, 
peculation,  and  an  insatiable  thirst  for  riches  seem  to  have 
got  the*  better  of  every  other  consideration,  and  almost  of 
every  order  of  men ;  that  party  disputes  and  personal  quarrels 
are  the  great  business  of  the  day,-  while  the  momentous  con- 
cern of  an  empire,  a  great  and  accumulating  debt,  ruined 
finances,  depreciated  money  and  want  of  credit,  which  in 
its  consequences  is  the  want  of  everything,  are  but  secondary 
considerations  and  postponed  from  day  to  day,  from  week  to 
week,  as  if  our  affairs  wore  the  most  promising  aspect. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  180. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH  AND  THE  TREACHERY  OP 
CHARLES  LEE 

Detailed  Account  of  the  Battle  of  Monmouth 

On  the  night  of  June  2jth  the  left  wing  of  the  British 
army,  8,000  strong,  commanded  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  en- 
camped near  Monmouth  Court  House,  on  the  road  from 
Allentown.  The  right  wing,  of  about  equal  strength,  and 
composed  chiefly  of  Hessians  under  Kynphausen,  lay  just 
beyond  the  court  house  on  the  road  to  Middletown.  In 
order  to  march  the  right  wing  took  the  lead,  conveying  the 
immense  baggage  train.  The  left  wing,  following  in  the 
rear,  was  the  part  exposed  to  danger,  and  with  it  stayed  Sir 
Henry  Clinton.  The  American  advance  under  Lee,  6,000 
strong,  lay  about  five  miles  northeast  of  the  British  line, 
and  Washington,  with  the  main  body,  was  only  three  miles 
behind.  Lee's  orders  from  Washington  were  positive  and 
explicit.  He  was  to  gain  the  flank  of  the  British  left  wing 
and  attack  it  vigorously,  while  Washington  was  to  come  up 
and  complete  its  discomfiture.  Lee's  force  was  ample,  in 
quantity  and  quality,  for  the  task  assigned  to  it,  and  there 
was  fair  ground  for  hope  that  the  flower  of  the  British  army 
might  thus  be  cut  off  and  captured  or  destroyed.  Since  the 
war  began  there  had  hardly  .been  such  a  golden  oppor- 
tunity. 

Sunday,  the  28th  of  June,  was  a  day  of  fiery  heat,  the 
thermometer  showing  96°  in  the  shade.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing Clinton  moved  cautiously.  Knyphausen  made  all  haste 
forward  on  the  Middletown  road,  and  the  left  wing  followed 
till  it  had  passed  more  than  a  mile  beyond  Monmouth 
Court  House,  when  it  found  itself  outflanked  on  the  north 

(50) 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE 


by  the  American  columns.     Lee  had  advanced  from  Free- 
hold Church  by  the  main  road,  crossing  two  deep  ravines 
upon  causeways;   and,  now,  while  his  left  wing  was  folding 
about  Cornwallis  on  the  north,  occupying  superior  ground, 
his  centre,  under  Wayne,  was  close  behind,  and  his  right, 
under  Lafayette,  had  already  passed  the  Court  House  and 
was  threatening  the  other  end  of  the  British  line  on  the 
south.     Cornwallis   instantly   changed   front    to   meet   the 
danger  on  the  north,  and  a  detachment  was  thrown  down 
the  road  toward  the  Court  House  to  check  Lafayette.     The 
British  position  was  one  of  extreme  peril,  but  the  behavior 
of  the  American  commander  now  became  very  extraordinary. 
When  Wayne  was  beginning  his  attack,  he  was  ordered  by 
Lee  to  hold  back  and  simply  make  a  feint,  as  the  main  attack 
was  to  be  made  in  another  quarter.     While  Wayne  was 
wondering  at  this,  the  British  troops  coming  down  the  road 
were  seen  directing  their  march  so  as  to  come  between  Wayne 
and  Lafayette.     It  would  be  easy  to  check  them,  but  the 
marquis  had  no  sooner  started  than  Lee  ordered  him  back, 
murmuring   about   its   being   impossible   to   stand   against 
British  soldiers.     Lafayette's  suspicions  were  now  aroused, 
and  he  sent  a  dispatch  in  all  haste  to  Washington,  saying 
that  his  presence  in  the  field  was  sorely  needed.     The  army 
was    bewildered.     Fighting   had   hardly    begun,  but    their 
position  was  obviously  so  good  that  the  failure  to  make 
prompt  use  of  it  suggested  some  unknown  danger.     One  of 
the  divisions  on  the  left  was  now  ordered  back  by  Lee,  and 
the  others,   seeing  this  retrograde  movement,   and  under- 
standing it  as  the  prelude  to  a  general  retreat,  began  like- 
wise to  fall  back.     All  thus  retreated,  though  without  flurry 
or  disorder,  to  the  high  ground  just  east  of  the  second  ravine 
which  they  had  crossed  in  their  advance.     All  the  advantage 
of  their  offensive  movement  was  thus  thrown  away  without 
a  struggle,  but  fhe  position  they  had  now  reached  was  ex- 
cellent for  a  defensive  fight.     To  the  amazement  of  every- 
body, Lee  ordered  the  retreat  to  be  continued  across  the 


52  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


marshy  ravine.  As  they  crossed  upon  the  causeway  the 
ranks  began  to  fall  into  some  disorder.  Many  sank  ex- 
hausted from  the  heat.  No  one  could  tell  from  what  they 
were  fleeing,  and  the  exultant  ardor  with  which  they  had 
begun  to  enfold  the  British  line  gave  place  to  bitter  dis- 
appointment, which  vented  itself  in  passionate  curses.  So 
they  hurried  on,  with  increasing  disorder,  till  they  were  ap- 
proaching the  brink  of  the  westerly  ravine,  where  the  craven 
commander  met  Washington  riding  up,  pale  with  anger, 
looking  like  an  avenging  deity. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this?"  shouted  Wash- 
ington. His  tone  was  so  fierce  and  his  look  so  threatening 
that  the  traitor  shook  in  his  stirrups,  and  could  make  no 
answer.  When  the  question  was  repeated  with  yet  greater 
fierceness,  and  further  emphasized  by  a  tremendous  oath, 
he  flew  into  a  rage,  and  complained  at  having  been  sent  to 
beard  the  whole  British  army.  "I  am  very  sorry,"  said 
Washington,  "that  you  undertook  the  command  if  you  did 
not  mean  to  fight."  Lee  replied  that  he  did  not  think  it 
prudent  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement,  which  was, 
however,  precisely  what  he  had  been  sent  out  to  do. 
"Whatever  your  opinions  may  have  been,"  said  Wash- 
ington sharply,  "  I  expected  my  orders  to  be  obeyed";  and 
with  these  words  he  wheeled  about  to  stop  the  retreat  and 
form  a  new  front.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  for  the 
British  were  within  a  mile  of  them,  and  their  fire  began 
before  the  line  of  battle  could  be  formed.  To  throw  a  mass 
of  disorderly  fugitives  in  the  face  of  advancing  reinforce- 
ments, as  Lee  had  been  on  the  point  of  doing,  was  to 
endanger  the  organization  of  the  whole  force. 

It  was  now  that  the  admirable  results  of  Steuben's 
teachings  were  to  be  seen.  The  retreating  soldiers  im- 
mediately wheeled  and  formed  under  fire  with  as  much 
coolness  and  precision  as  they  could  have  shown  on  parade, 
and  while  they  stopped  the  enemy's  progress,  Washington 
rode  back  and  brought  up  the  main  body  of  his  army. 


53 


On  some  heights  to  the  left  of  the  enemy  Greene  placed  a 
battery  which  enfiladed  their  lines,  while  Wayne  attacked 
them  vigorously  in  front.  After  a  brave  resistance,  the  British 
were  driven  back  upon  the  second  ravine  which  Lee  had 
crossed  in  the  morning's  advance.  Washington  now  sent 
word  to  Steuben,  who  was  a  couple  of  miles  in  the  rear,  telling 
him  to  bring  up  three  brigades  and  press  the  retreating 
enemy.  Some  time  before  this  he  had  again  met  Lee  and 
ordered  him  to  the  rear,  for  his  suspicion  was  now  thoroughly 
aroused.  As  the  traitor  rode  away  from  the  field  he  met 
Steuben  advancing,  and  tried  to  work  one  final  piece  of 
mischief.  He  tried  to  persuade  Steuben  to  halt,  alleging 
that  he  must  have  misunderstood  Washington's  orders;  but 
the  worthy  baron  was  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  doggedly 
kept  on  his  way.  The  British  were  driven  in  some  confusion 
across  the  ravine,  and  were  just  making  a  fresh  stand  on 
the  high  ground  east  of  it  when  night  put  an  end  to  the  strife. 
Washington  sent  out  parties  to  attack  them  on  both  flanks 
as  soon  as  day  should  dawn;  but  Clinton  withdrew  in  the 
night,  leaving  his  wounded  behind,  and  by  daybreak  had 
joined  Knyphausen  on  the  heights  of  Middletown,  whither 
it  was  useless  to  follow  him. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  61. 

"They  Are  All  Coming  This  Way!" 

As  the  commander-in-chief ,  accompanied  by  a  numerous 
suite,  approached  the  vicinity  of  Monmouth  Court  House, 
he  was  met  by  a  little  fifer-boy,  who  archly  observed,  "  They 
are  all  coming  this  way,  your  honor. "  "  Who  are  coming, 
my  little  man?"  asked  General  Knox.  "Why  our  boys, 
your  honor,  our  boys,  and  the  British  right  after  them," 
replied  the  little  musician.  "  Impossible, "  exclaimed  Wash- 
ington. And  giving  the  spur  to  his  charger,  proceeded  at 
full  gallop  to  the  eminence  a  short  distance  ahead.  There 
to  his  extreme  pain  and  mortification,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  boy's  intelligence  was  but  too  true.  The  very  elite 


54  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

of  the  American  army,  five  thousand  picked  officers  and  men, 
were  in  full  retreat,  closely  pursued  by  the  enemy.  The 
first  inquiry  of  the  chief  was  for  Major-general  Lee,  who 
commanded  the  advance,  and  who  soon  appeared,  when  a 
warm  conversation  ensued,  that  ended  by  the  major-general 
being  ordered  to  the  rear.  During  this  interview,  an  incident 
of  rare  and  chivalric  interest  occurred.  Lieutenant -colonel 
Hamilton,  aide  to  the  general-in-chief ,  leaped  from  his  horse, 
and,  drawing  his  sword,  addressed  the  General  with — "  We 
are  betrayed ;  your  excellency  and  the  army  are  betrayed, 
and  the  moment  has  arrived  when  every  true  friend  of 
America  and  her  cause  must  be  ready  to  die  in  their  defence. " 
Washington,  charmed  with  the  generous  enthusiasm  of 
his  favorite  aide,  yet  deemed  the  same  ill-timed,  and  pointing 
to  the  colonel's  horse  that  was  cropping  the  herbage,  uncon- 
cious  of  the  great  scene  enacting  around  him,  calmly  ob- 
served, "Colonel  Hamilton,  you  will  take  your  horse." 

Recollections  of  Washington,    by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington    Parke  Custis. 
p.  817. 

Varying  Versions  by  Other  Witnesses 

Dr.  Alfred  Alexander  Woodhull,  according  to  Edward 
Everett  Hale,  used  to  tell  of  his  grand-uncle,  David  Bread- 
ing's  account  of  the  wrath  of  Washington  against  Lee  at 
Monmouth.  Breading  was  one  of  General  Washington's 
aides,  and  was  sent  by  Maxwell  to  report  to  General  Wash- 
ington of  Lee's  retreating.  The  young  aide  found  Wash- 
ington, who  asked  quickly: 

"Young  man,  can  you  lead  me  to  General  Lee?" 

The  aide  said  he  could. 

"Lead  on,"  said  the  commander-in-chief,  "and  I  will 
follow." 

Aide  and  general  rode  on  a  furious  rate  until  they  met 
General  Lee,  who  was  leading  the  retreat  of  his  command. 

"Why  have  you  acted  thus?"  demanded  Washington, 
whose  usually  calm  face  was  blazing  with  fury. 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE      55 

Lee  whined  that  the  American  troops  could  not  stand 
the  British  bayonets. 

"You  damned  poltroon!"  Washington  shouted  in  his 
righteous  wrath,  "you  have  never  tried  them." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Ammi  Bradford  Hyde,  Vice-chancellor 
of  the  University  of  Denver,  Colorado,  told  the  following 
story  to  the  writer: 

"  My  grandfather,  Jared  Hinckley,  was,  one  campaign 
excepted,  near  the  person  of  Washington  from  Cambridge 
to  Yorktown — that  is,  during  the  entire  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. As  I  sat  on  his  knee,  or  at  his  feet,  he  gave  endless 
stories  o'f  his  great  commander,  whom  he  reckoned  more 
than  human. 

"At  the  battle  of  Monmouth  Grandfather  Hinckley 
was  hardly  ten  yards  from  the  spot  where  Washington, 
coming  upon  the  scene,  met  Lee  retreating. 

"  'General  Lee,  you  have  disobeyed  my  orders!' 
came  loud  and  clear  from  Washington's  lips. 

"  '  By  God,  I  have  not!1  yelled  Lee. 

"  'By  God,  you  havel  Go  to  the  rear,'  thundered 
Washington,  his  face  ablaze,  and  re-forming  with  furious 
energy,  rescued  and  regained  the  day.  Calm  histories  soften 
the  incident.  I  give  you  what  Grandfather  Hinckley  said 
he  heard  and  saw. " 

w.  w. 


The  general-in-chief  now  set  himself  in  earnest  about 
restoring  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  He  ordered  Colonel 
Stewart  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ramsay,  with  their  regi- 
ments, to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  which  service  was 
gallantly  performed ;  while  the  general,  in  person,  proceeded 
to  form  his  second  line.  He  rode,  on  the  morning  of  the 
twenty-eighth  of  June,  and  for  that  time  only  during  the 
war,  a  white  charger  that  had  been  presented  to  him. 
From  the  overpowering  heat  of  the  day,  and  the  deep  and 


5 6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

sandy  nature  of  the  soil,  the  spirited  horse  sank  under  his 
rider,  and  expired  on  the  spot.  The  chief  was  instantly 
remounted  upon  a  chestnut  blood-mare,  with  a  flowing 
mane  and  tail,  of  Arabian  breed,  which  his  servant  Billy 
was  leading.  It  was  upon  this  beautiful  animal,  covered 
with  foam,  that  the  American  general  flew  along  the  line, 
cheering  the  soldiers  in  the  familiar  and  endearing  language 
ever  used  by  the  officer  to  the  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  of 
"Stand  fast,  my  boys,  and  receive  the  enemy;  the  southern 
troops  are  advancing  to  support  you." 

The  person  of  Washington,  always  graceful,  dignified, 
and  commanding,  showed  to  peculiar  advantage  when 
mounted;  it  exhibited,  indeed,  the  very  beau  ideal  of  a 
perfect  cavalier.  The  good  Lafayette,  during  his  last  visit 
to  America,  delighted  to  discourse  of  the  "times  that  tried 
men's  souls."  From  the  venerated  friend  of  our  country 
we  derived  a  most  graphic  description  of  Washington  and 
the  field  of  battle.  Lafayette  said,  "At  Monmouth  I 
commanded  a  division,  and,  it  may  be  supposed  I  was  pretty 
well  occupied ;  still  I  took  time,  amid  the  roar  and  confusion 
of  the  conflict,  to  admire  our  beloved  chief,  who,  mounted 
on  a  splendid  charger,  rode  along  the  ranks  amid  the  shouts 
of  the  soldiers,  cheering  them  by  his  voice  and  example, 
and  restoring  to  our  standard  the  fortunes  of  the  fight.  I 
thought  then,  as  now, "  continued  Lafayette,  "  that  never 
had  I  beheld  so  superb  a  man. " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  bv  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  219. 

The  Doomed  Gun  Was  No  Longer  Deemed  Unlucky 

Nor  must  we  omit,  among  our  incidents  of  the  battle 
of  Monmouth,  to  mention  the  achievement  of  the  famed 
Captain.  Molly,  a  nom  de  guerre  given  to  the  wife  of  a  matross 
in  Proctor's  artillery.  At  one  of  the  guns  of  Proctor's 
battery,  six  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded.  It  was  deemed 
an  unlucky  gun,  and  murmurs  arose  that  it  should  be  drawn 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE      57 


back  and  abandoned.  At  this  juncture,  while  Captain 
Molly  was  serving  some  water  for  the  refreshment  of  the 
men,  her  husband  received  a  shot  in  the  head,  and  fell 
lifeless  under  the  wheels  of  the  piece.  The  heroine  threw 
down  the  pail  of  water,  and  crying  to  her  dead  consort, 
"Lie  there,  my  darling,  while  I  avenge  ye,"  grasped  the 
ramrod  the  lifeless  hand  of  the  poor  fellow  had  just  relin- 
quished, sent  home  the  charge,  and  called  to  the  matrosses 
to  prime  and  fire.  It  was  done.  Then  entering  the  sponge 
into  the  smoking  muzzle  of  the  cannon,  the  heroine  per- 
formed to  admiration  the  duties  of  the  most  expert  artillery- 
man, while  loud  shouts  from  the  soldiers  rang  along  the  line. 
The  doomed  gun  was  no  longer  deemed  unlucky,  and  the 
fire  of  the  battery  became  more  vivid  than  ever.  The 
Amazonian  fair  one  kept  her  post  till  night  closed  the  action, 
when  she  was  introduced  to  General  Greene,  who,  compli- 
menting her  upon  her  courage  and  conduct,  the  next  morn- 
ing presented  her  to  the  commander-in-chief.  Washington 
received  her  graciously,  gave  her  a  piece  of  gold,  and  assured 
her  that  her  services  should  not  be  forgotten. 

This  remarkable  and  intrepid  woman  survived  the 
Revolution,  never  for  an  instant  laying  aside  the  appellation 
she  had  so  nobly  won,  and  levying  contributions  upon  both 
civil  and  military,  whenever  she  recounted  the  tale  of  the 
doomed  gun,  and  the  famous  Captain  Molly  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  224. 

Captain  Molly  at  Monmouth 

On  the  bloody  field  of  Monmouth  flashed  the  guns  of  Greene 

and  Wayne; 
Fiercely  roared  the  tide  of  battle,   thick  the  sward  was 

heaped  with  slain. 
Foremost,    facing   death   and   danger,    Hessian   horse   and 

grenadier, 
In  the  vanguard,  fiercely  fighting,  stood  an  Irish  cannoneer. 


S8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Loudly  roared  his  iron  cannon,  mingling  ever  in  the  strife, 
And  beside  him,  firm  and  daring,  stood  his  faithful  Irish 

wife; 
Of  her  bold  contempt  of  danger  Greene  and  Lee's   brigade 

could  tell, 
Every  one  knew  "Captain  Molly,"  and  the  army  loved  her 

well. 

Surged  the  roar  of  battle  round  them,  swiftly  flew  the  iron 

hail; 
Forward  flashed  a  thousand  bayonets  that  lone  battery  to 

assail ; 
From  the  foeman's  foremost  columns  swept  a  furious  fusillade, 

Mowing  down  the  massed  battalions  in  the  ranks  of  Greene's 

brigade. 
Fast   and   faster  worked   the   gunner,  soiled  with  powder, 

blood,  and  dust; 
English  bayonets  shone  before  him,  shot  and  shell  around 

him  burst; 
Still  he  fought  with  reckless  daring,  stood  and  manned  her 

long  and  well, 
Till  at  last  the  gallant  fellow — dead  beside  his  cannon  fell. 

With  a  bitter  cry  of  sorrow,  and  a  dark  and  angry  frown, 
Looked  that  band  of  gallant  patriots  at  their  gunner  stricken 

down.  < 

"Fall  back,  comrades!  It  is  folly  thus  to  strive  against  the 

foe." 
"  No,  not  so !"  cried  Irish  Molly,"  we  can  strike  another  blow." 

Quickly  leaped  she  to  the  cannon  in  her  fallen  husband's 
place, 

Sponged  and  rammed  it  fast  and  steady,  fired  it  in  the  foe- 
man's face. 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE      59 

Flashed  another  ringing  volley,  roared  another  from  the 
gun; 

"  Boys,  hurrah!"  cried  gallant  Molly,  "  for  the  flag  of  Wash- 
ington!" 

Greene's  brigade,  though  shorn  and  shattered,  slain  and 
bleeding  half  their  men, 

When  they  heard  that  Irish  slogan,  turned  and  charged  the 
foe  again; 

Knox  and  Wayne  and  Morgan  rally,  to  the  front  they  for- 
ward wheel, 

And  before  their  rushing  onset  Clinton's  English  columns 
reel. 

Still  the  cannon's  voice  in  anger  rolled  and  rattled  o'er  the 

plain, 
Till  there  lay  in  swarms  around  it  mingled  heaps  of  Hessian 

slain. 
"  Forward !  charge  them  with  the  bayonet ! "   'twas  the  voice 

of  Washington; 
And  there  burst  a  fiery  greeting  from  the  Irish  woman's  gun. 

Monckton  falls ;  against  his  columns  leap  the  troops  of  Wayne 

and  Lee, 
And  before  their  reeking  bayonets  Clinton's  red  battalions 

flee; 
Morgan's  rifles,  fiercely  flashing,  thin  the  foe's  retreating 

ranks, 
And  behind  them,  onward  dashing,  Ogden  hovers  on  their 

flanks. 

Fast  they  fly,  those  boasting  Britons,  who  in  all  their  glory 

came, 
With  their  brutal  Hessian  hirelings  to  wipe  out  our  country's 

name. 


60  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Proudly  floats  the  starry  banner ;  Monmouth's  glorious  field 

is  won ; 
And  in  triumph  Irish  Molly  stands  beside  her  smoking  gun. 

Captain  Molly  at  Monmouth,  William  Collins,  The  American  Flag,  Edited  by  Harlan 
Hojrt  Homer,  p.  98.  • 

After  Monmouth 

The  British  loss  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth  was  about 
416,  and  the  American  loss  was  362.  On  both  sides  there  were 
many  deaths  from  sunstroke.  The  battle  has  usually  been 
claimed  as  a  victory  for  the  Americans;  and  so  it  was,  in 
a  certain  sense,  as  they  drove  the  enemy  from  the  field. 
Strategically  considered,  however,  Lord  Stanhope  is  quite 
right  in  calling  it  a  drawn  battle.  The  purpose  for  which 
Washington  undertook  it  was  foiled  by  the  treachery  of  Lee. 
Nevertheless,  in  view  of  the  promptness  with  which  Wash- 
ington turned  defeat  into  victory,  and  of  the  greatly  increased 
efficiency  which  it  showed  in  the  soldiers,  the  moral  advan- 
tage was  doubtless  with  the  Americans.  It  deepened  the 
impression  produced  by  the  recovery  of  Philadelphia,  it 
silenced  the  cavillers  against  Washington,  and  its  effect 
upon  Clinton's  army  was  disheartening.  More  than  2,000 
of  his  men,  chiefly  Hessians,  deserted  in  the  course  of  the 
following  week. 

During  the  night  after  the  battle,  the  behavior  of  Lee 
was  the  theme  of  excited  discussion  among  the  American 
officers.  By  the  next  day,  having  recovered '  his  self- 
possession,  he  wrote  a  petulant  letter  to  Washington, 
demanding  an  apology  for  his  language  on  the  battle-field. 
Washington's  reply  was  as  follows : 

"Sir, — I  received  your  letter,  expressed,  as  I  conceive, 
in  terms  highly  improper.  I  am  not  conscious  of  making 
use  of  any  very  singular  expressions  at  the  time  of  meeting 
you,  as  you  intimate.  What  I  recollect  to  have  said  was 
dictated  by  duty  and  warranted  by  the  occasion.  As  soon 
as  circumstances  will  permit,  you  shall  have  an  opportunity 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE      61 

of  justifying  yourself  to  the  army,  to  Congress,  to  America, 
and  to  the  world  in  general ;  or  o'f  convincing  them  that  you 
were  guilty  of  a  breach  of  orders,  and  of  misbehavior  before 
the  enemy  on  the  28th  instant,  in  not  attacking  them  as 
you  had  been  directed,  and  in  making  an  unnecessary, 
disorderly,  and  shameful  retreat. " 

To  this  terrible  letter  Lee  sent  the  following  impudent 
answer : 

"You  can  afford  me  no  greater  pleasuse  than  in 
giving  me  the  opportunity  of  showing  to  America  the 
sufficiency  of  her  respective  servants.  I  trust  that  tem- 
porary power  of  office  and  the  tinsel  dignity  attending  it 
will  not  be  able,  by  all  the  mists  they  can  raise,  to  obfuscate 
the  bright  rays  of  truth.  "  /-, ., ;, 

Washington  replied  by  putting  Lee  under  arrest.  A 
court-martial  was  at  once  convened,  before  which  he  was 
charged  with  disobedience  of  orders  in  not  attacking  the 
enemy,  with  misbehavior  on  the  field  in  making  an  unnec- 
essary and  shameful  retreat,  and  lastly,  with  gross  dis- 
respect to  the  commander-in-chief.  After  a  painstaking 
trial,  which  lasted  more  than  a  month,  he  was  found  guilty 
on  all  three  charges,  and  suspended  from  command  in  the 
army  for  the  term  of  one  year. 

This  absurdly  inadequate  sentence  is  an  example  of  the 
extreme  and  sometimes  ill-judged  humanity  which  has  been 
wont  to  characterize  judicial  proceedings  in  America.  Many 
a  European  soldier  has  been  ruthlessly  shot  for  less  serious 
misconduct  and  on  less  convincing  evidence.  A  general 
can  be  guilty  of  no  blacker  crime  than  knowingly  to  betray 
his  trust  on  the  field  of  battle.  But  in  Lee's  case  the  very 
enormity  of  his  crime  went  far  to  screen  him  from  the  pun- 
ishment which  it  deserved. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  65. 

Lee,  the  Traitor,  Disgraced 

Historians  for  a  long  time  imitated  the  clemency  of 
the  court-martial  by  speaking  of  the  "waywardness"  of 


6a  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

General  Lee.  Nearly  eighty  years  elapsed  before  the  dis- 
covery of  that  document  which  obliges  us  to  put  the  worst 
interpretation  upon  his  acts,  while  it  enables  us  clearly  to 
understand  the  motives  which  prompted  them.  Lee  was 
nothing  but  a  selfish  adventurer.  He  had  no  faith  in  the 
principles  for  which  the  Americans  were  fighting,  or  indeed 
any  principles.  He  came  here  to  advance  his  own  fortunes, 
and  hoped  to  be  made  commander-in-chief.  Disappointed 
in  this,  he  began  at  once  to  look  with  hatred  and  envy  upon 
Washington,  and  sought  to  thwart  his  purposes,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  intrigued  with  the  enemy.  '  He  became 
infatuated  with  the  idea  of  playing  some  such  part  in  the 
American  Revolution  as  Monk  had  played  in  the  Restoration 
of  Charles  II.  This-  explains  his  conduct  in  the  autumn 
of  1776,  when  he  refused  to  march  to  the  support  of  Wash- 
ington. Should  Washington  be  defeated  and  captured, 
then  Lee,  as  next  in  command  and  at  the  head  of  a  separate 
army,  might  negotiate  for  peace.  His  conduct  as  prisoner 
in  New  York,  first  in  soliciting  an  interview  with  Congress, 
then  in  giving  aid  and  counsel  to  the  enemy,  is  all  to  be 
explained  in  the  same  way.  And  his  behavior  in  the  Mon- 
mouth  campaign  was  part  and  parcel  of  the  same  crooked 
policy.  Lord  North's  commission  had  just  arrived  from 
England  to  offer  terms  to  the  Americans,  but  in  the  exulta- 
tion over  Saratoga  and  the  French  alliance,  now  increased 
by  the  recovery  of  Philadelphia,  there  was  little  hope  of  their 
effecting  anything.  The  spirits  of  these  Yankees,  thought 
Lee,  must  not  be  suffered  to  rise  too  high,  else  they  wiH 
never  listen  to  reason.  So  he  wished  to  build  a  bridge  of 
gold  for  Clinton  to  retreat  by;  and  when  he  found  it  impos- 
sible to  prevent  an  attack,  his  second  thoughts  led  him  to 
take  command,  in  order  to  keep  the  game  in  his  own  hands. 
Should  Washington  now  incur  defeat  by  adopting  a  course 
which  Lee  had  emphatically  condemned  as  impracticable, 
the  impatient  prejudices  upon  which  the  cabal  had  played 
might  be  revived.  The  downfall  of  Washington  would 


perhaps  be  easy  to  compass;  and  the  schemer  would  thus 
not  only  enjoy  the  humiliation  of  the  man  whom  he  so 
bitterly  hated,  but  he  might  fairly  hope  to  succeed  him  in 
the  chief  command,  and  thus  have  an  opportunity  of  bring- 
ing the  war  to  a  "glorious"  end  through  a  negotiation  with 
Lord  North's  commissioners.  Such  thoughts  as  these  were 
the  impracticable  schemes  of  a  vain,  egotistical  dreamer. 
That  Washington  and  Chatham,  had  that  great  statesman 
been  still  alive,  might  have  brought  the  war  to  an  honorable 
close  through  open  and  frank  negotiation  was  perhaps  not 
impossible.  That  such  a  man  as  Lee,  by  paltering  with 
agents  of  Lord  North,  should  effect  anything  but  mischief 
and  confusion  was  inconceivable.  But  selfishness  is  always 
incompatible  with  sound  judgment,  and  Lee's  wild  schemes 
were  quite  yi  keeping  with  his  character.  The  method  he 
adopted  for  carrying  them  out  was  equally  so.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  a  man  of  strong  military  instincts 
to  have  relaxed  his  clutch  upon  an  enemy  in  the  field,  as 
Lee  did  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  If  Arnold  had  been 
there  that  day,  with  his  head  never  so  full  of  treason,  an 
irresistible  impulse  would  doubtless  have  led  him  to  attack 
the  enemy  tooth  and  nail,  and  the  treason  would  have? 
waited  till  the  morrow. 

As  usually  happens  in  such-  cases,  the  selfish  schemer 
overreached  himself.  Washington  won  a  victory  after  all ; 
the  treachery  was  detected,  and  the  traitor  disgraced. 
Maddened  by  the  destruction  of  his  air-castles,  Lee  now 
began  writing  scurrilous  articles  in  the  newspapers.  He 
could  not  hear  Washington's  name  mentioned  without  losing 
his  temper,  and  his  venomous  tongue  at  length  got  him  into 
a  duel  with  Colonel  Laurens,  one  of  Washington's  aids  and 
son  of  the  president  of  Congress.  He  came  out  of  the  affair 
with  nothing  worse  than  a  wound  in  the  side;  but  when,  a 
little  later,  he  wrote  an  angry  letter  to  Congress,  he  was 
summarily  expelled  from  the  army.  "Ah,  I  see,"  he  said, 
aiming  a  Parthian  shot  at  Washington,  "if  you. _ wish,  tc 


64  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

become  a  great  general  in  America,  you  must  learn  to  grow 
tobacco";  and  so  he  retired  to  a  plantation  which  he  had 
in  the  Shenandoah  valley.  He  lived  to  behold  the  triumph 
of  the  cause  which  he  had  done  so  much  to  injure,  and  in 
October,  1782,  he  died  in  a  mean  public-house  in  Philadel- 
phia, friendless  and  alone.  His  last  wish  was  that  he  might 
not  be  buried  in  consecrated  ground,  or  within  a  mile  of  any 
church  or  meeting-house  because  he  had  kept  so  much  bad 
company  in  this  world  that  he  did-  not  wish  to  continue 
it  in  the  next.  But  in  this  he  was  not  allowed  to  have  his 
way.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Christ  Church  in 
Philadelphia,  and  many  worthy  citizens  came  to  the  funeral. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  68. 

Did  General  Washington  Swear? 

The  two  principal  scenes  of  Washington's  alleged  vio- 
lence of  temper  and  gross  profanity  under  its  influence 
were  the  battle-field  of  Monmouth  in  June,  1778,  in  the 
third  year  of  his  command  of  the  Revolutionary  Army, 
and  his  own  house  in  Philadelphia  in  December,  1791,  in 
the  third  year  of  his  presidency  of  the  United  States. 
Several  years  ago,  in  a  paper  which  I  had  the  honor  to 
read  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  I  said  with 
respect  to  the  former  occasion: 

"Great  excitement  and  want  of  dignity  culminating 
in  violent  threats  and  even  gross  cursing  and  profanity  have 
been  ascribed  to  Washington  in  his  interview  with  Lee. 
There  is  no  evidence  of  any  historical  value  to  sustain  this 
disgraceful  charge,  and  the  man  who  repeats  it  ought  always 
to  be  challenged  to  the  proof.  If  there  was  one  common 
vice  against  which  Washington's  face  was  set  like  a  flint, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his'  military  career,  it  was 
this  very  habit  of  profane  swearing." 

If  any  proof  has  been  offered  to  confirm  the  vulgar 
stories  in  vogue  concerning  the  language  and  demeanor  of 
Washington  on  that  occasion,  I  have  not  heard  of  it;  and  it 


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P-. 


THE  TREACHERY  OF  CHARLES  LEE      65 

is  my  firm  conviction  that  nothing  of  the  kind  worthy  of 
credit  can  be  discovered ;  but  that  any  and  all  attempts  to 
substantiate  the  reports  referred  to  may  be  very  easily  dis- 
posed of  by  any  right-minded  and  competent  historical 
critic.  A  few  words  will  suffice  for  my  present  purpose. 

The  scenes  and  events  of  that  day  were  the  subject  of  a 
prolonged  and  very  critical  investigation  while  the  actors 
in  them  were  still  within  reach  and,  as  it  were,  fresh  from 
the  field.  General  Lee's  trial  by  a  general  court-martial, 
beginning  on  the  4th  of  July,  six  days  after  the  battle,  ended 
on  the  1 2th  of  August,  with  his  suspension  from  any  com- 
mand in  the  armies  of  the  United  States  of  North  America, 
for  the  term  of  twelve  months.  The  statements  of  General 
Washington  and  General  Lee  in  the  correspondence  which 
led  to  the  court-martial,  the  sworn  testimony  of  the  witnesses 
upon  the  trial,  and  the  defense  of  General  Lee  himself,  furnish 
conclusive  evidence  of  the  utter  falsehood  of  these  pretended 
traditions  which  have  gained  entrance  where  they  ought 
never  to  have  been  received  for  a  moment. 

Libels  on  Washington,  George  H.  Moore,  p.  6. 

"  I  Have  No  Exclusive  Partialities" 

While  the  American  army  .  .  .  lay  encamped  in 
the  environs  of  Morristown,  it  occurred  that  the  service  of 
the  communion  .  .  .  was  to  be  administered  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  that  village.  In  a  morning  of  the 
previous  week,  the  General  .  .t  .  visited  the  house  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Jones,  then  pastor  of  that  church,  and  . 
accosted  him: 

"  Doctor,  I  understand  that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  to  be 
celebrated  with  you  next  Sunday ;  I  would  learn  if  it  accords 
with  the  canons  of  your  church  to  admit  communicants  of 
another  denomination." 

The  doctor  rejoined — "Most  certainly;  ours  is  not  the 
Presbyterian  table,  General,  but  the  Lord's  table.  "  .  . 


66  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  General  replied,  "  I  am  glad  of  it ;  that  is  as  it 
ought  to  be ;  but  as  I  was  not  quite  sure  of  the  fact,  I  thought 
I  would  ascertain  it  from  yourself,  as  I  propose  to  join  with 
you  on  that  occasion.  Though  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  I  have  no  exclusive  partialities.  " 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  62. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

FRENCH  AID  AND  AMERICAN  GREED 

\ 

Foreign  Officers,  the  French  Alliance,  and  Three  Letters 

While  Washington  was  putting  down  the  enemies  of 
the  United  States,  Franklin  was  making  friends  for  it. 
After  the  capture  of  Burgoyne  he  persuaded  the  king  of 
France  to  recognize  the  United  States  as  an  independent 
nation.  Besides  this  a  fleet  was  fitted  out,  manned  and 
commanded  by  the  French.  But  there  were  long,  weary, 
heart  sickening  delays  before  the  French  arrived. 

Congress  and  the  people  hailed  the  French  alliance  with 
rejoicings.  They  had  been  colonials  all  their  lives  and 
believed  a  man  with  foreign  advantages  must  be  far  superior 
to  any  officer  who  had  grown  up  at  home.  This  truckling 
to  foreigners  was  bred  in  the  bone.  It  seems  a  marvel 
that.  Washington's  patriotism  so  quickly  burned  out  all 
this  dross  of  habit  and  antecedent.  -He  believed  in  the  home 
product  of  men,  though  some  who  styled  themselves  broad- 
minded  accused  him  of  narrow  provincialism. 

In  1778  he  had  written  to  Gouverneur  Morris: 
"The  lavish  manner  in  which  rank  has  hitherto  been 
bestowed  on  these  [foreign]  gentlemen  will  certainly  be 
productive  of  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  evils:  either 
to  make  it  despicable  in  the  eyes  of  Europe,  or  become  the 
means  of  pouring  them  in  upon  us  like  a  torrent  and  adding 
to  our  present  burden,  ...  or  the  driving  of  all  our 
own  officers  out  of  the  service,  and  throwing  not  only  our 
army,  but  our  military  councils  entirely  into  the  hands  of 
foreigners. " 

Again  he  wrote  to  the  president  of  Congress : 

"  I  trust  you  think  me  so  much  a  citizen  of  the  world 

(67) 


68  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

as  to  believe  I  am  not  easily  warped  or  led  away  by  attach- 
ments merely  local  and  American,  yet  I  confess  I  am  not 
entirely  without  them. " 

When  Count  D'Estaing  at  last  arrived  with  the  French 
fleet  he  was  too  late  to  keep  Lord  Howe  out  of  the  Delaware, 
so  he  turned  to  New  York.  He  was  late  there  and  Wash- 
ington sent  him  to  co-operate  with  Sullivan  in  driving  the 
British  out  of  Rhode  Island.  There  was  a  delay  of  ten  days 
and  when  Sullivan  was  prepared  for  attack,  Lord  Howe'.s 
increased  fleet  came  in  sight.  D'Estaing  sailed  out  to  give 
battle,  but  a  storm  came  up  and  scattered  both  fleets. 
Then  D'Estaing  sailed  away  to  Boston  to  repair  damages. 
General  Sullivan  and  his  men  were  disgusted.  The  officers 
drew  up  a  protest  which  bade  fair  to  offend  and  drive  away 
the  French. 

Washington  promptly  wrote  three  tactful  letters  which 
prevented  a  disastrous  quarrel.  To  the  wrathy  Irish  general 
he  argued: 

"First  impressions,  you  know,  are  generally  longest 
remembered,  and  will  serve  to  fix  in  a  great  degree  our 
national  character  among  the  French.  In  our  conduct 
toward  them  we  should  remember  that  they  are  a  people 
old  in  war,  very  strict  in  military  etiquette,  and  apt  to  take 
fire  when  others  seem  scarcely  warmed.  Permit  me  to 
recommend,  in  the  most  particular  manner,  the  cultivation 
of  harmony  and  good  agreement,  and  your  endeavor  to 
destroy  that  ill-humor  which  may  'have  got  into  your 
officers. ' ' 

He  wrote  to  Lafayette,  the  brave  young  French*  general : 

"Everybody,  sir,  who  reasons  will  acknowledge  the 
advantage  which  we  have  derived  from  the  French  fleet, 
and  the  zeal  of  the  commander  of  it;  but  in  a  free  and 
republican  government  you  cannot  restrain  the  voice  of  the 
multitude.  Every  man  will  speak  as  he  thinks,  or  more 
properly,  without  thinking,  and  consequently  will  judge 
of  effects  without  attending  to  causes.  The  censures  which 


FRENCH  AID  AND  AMERICAN  GREED  6g 

have  been  leveled  at  the  French  fleet  would  more  than 
probably  have  fallen  in  a  much  higher  degree  upon  "a  fleet 
of  our  own  if  we  had  had  one  in  the  same  position. " 

Then  he  wrote  to  D'Estaing,  after  expressing  regret 
at  the  difficulties  which  had  been  unavoidable : 

"  It  is  in  the  trying  circumstances  to  which  your  Excel- 
lency has  been  exposed  that  the  virtues  of  a  great  mind  are 
displayed  in  their  brightest  lustre,  and  that  a  general's 
character  is  better  known  than  in  the  moment  of  victory. 
It  was  yours  by  every  title  that  can  give  it ;  and  the  adverse 
elements  that  robbed  you  of  your  prize  can  never  deprive 
you  of  the  glory  due  you.  Though  your  success  has  not 
been  equal  to  your  expectations,  yet  you  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  reflecting  that  you  have  rendered  essential  services 
to  the  common  cause. ' ' 

Again  Washington  saved  the  cause  and  the  country 
by  saving  the  French  alliance.  This  time  it  was  by  his 
delicate  diplomacy. 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  October  23  to  29,  1910. 

Washington's  Patriotic  Pride 

In  the  autumn,  it  was  reported  that  the  fleet  was  once 
more  on  the  northern  coast.  Washington  at  once  sent 
officers  to  be  on  the  lookout  at  the  most  likely  points,  and  he 
wrote  elaborately  to  D'Estaing,  setting  forth  with  wonderful 
perspicuity  the  incidents  of  the  past,  the  condition  of  the 
present,  and  the  probabilities  of  the  future.  He  was  willing 
to  do  anything,  or  plan  anything,  provided  his  allies  would 
join  with  him.  The  jealousy  so  habitual  in  humanity, 
which  is  afraid  that  some  one  else  might  get  the  glory  of 
a  common  success,  was  unknown  to  Washington,  and  if  he 
could  but  drive  the  British  from  America,  and  establish 
American  independence,  he  was  perfectly  willing  that  the 
glory  should  take  care  of  itself.  But  all  his  wisdom  in 
dealing  with  the  allies  was,  for  the  moment,  vain.  While 
he  was  planning  for  a  great  stroke,  and  calling  out  the  militia 


7o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

of  New  England,  D'Estaing  was  making  ready  to  relieve 
Georgia,  and  a  few  days  after  Washington  wrote  his  second 
letter,  the  French  and  Americans  assaulted  the  British 
works  at  Savannah,  and  were  repulsed  with  heavy  losses. 
Then  D'Estaing  sailed  away  again,  and  the  second  effort 
of  France  to  aid  England's  revolted  colonies  came  to  an 
end.  Their  presence  had  had  a  good  moral  effect,  and  the 
dread  of  D'Estaing's  return  had  caused  Clinton  to  with- 
draw from  Newport  and  concentrate  in  New  York.  This 
was  all  that  was  actually  accomplished,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing for  it  but  to  await  still  another  trial  and  a  more  con- 
venient season. 

With  all  his  courtesy  and. consideration,  with  all  his 
readiness  to  fall  in  with  the  wishes  and  schemes  of  the 
French,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  Washington  ever 
went  an  inch  too  far  in  this  direction.  He  valued  the 
French  alliance,  and  proposed  to  use  it  to  great  purpose,  but 
he  was  not  in  the  least  dazzled  or  blinded  by  it.  Even  in  the 
earliest  glow  of  excitement  and  hope  produced  by  D'Estaing's 
arrival,  Washington  took  occasion  to  draw  once  more  the 
distinction  between  a  valuable  alliance  and  volunteer  adven- 
turers, and  to  remonstrate  again  with  Congress  about  their 
reckless  profusion  in  dealing  with  foreign  officers.  To 
Gouverneur  Morris  he  wrote  on  July  24,  1778: 

"The  lavish  manner  in  which  rank  has  hitherto  been 
bestowed  on  these  gentlemen  will  certainly  be  productive 
of  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  evils:  either  to  make  it 
despicable  in  the  eyes  of  Europe,  or  become  the  means  of 
pouring  them  in  upon  us  like  a  torrent  and  adding  to  our 
present  burden.  But  it  is  neither  the  expense  nor  the 
trouble  of  them  that  I  most  dread.  There  is  an  evil  more 
extensive  in  its  nature,  and  fatal  in  its  consequences,  to  be 
apprehended,  and  that  is  the  driving  of  all  our  own  officers 
out  of  the  service,  and  throwing  not  only  our  army,  but  our 
military  councils,  entirely  into  the  hands  of  foreigners. 
.  .  .  Baron  Steuben,  I  now  find,  is  also  wanting  to 


quit  his  inspectorship  for  a  command  in  the  line.  This 
will  be  productive  of  much  discontent  to  the  brigadiers. 
In  a  word,  although  I  think  the  baron  an  excellent  officer, 
I  wish  we  had  not  a  single  foreigner  among  us  except  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  who  acts  from  very  different  principles 
from  those  which  govern  the  rest. "  . 

Again,  he  said  of  Steuben; 

"  I  regret  that  there  should  be  a  necessity  that  his 
services  should  be  lost  to  the  army;  at  the  same  time  I 
think  it  my  duty  explicitly  to  observe  to  Congress  that  his 
desire  of  having  an  actual  and  permanent  command  in  the 
line  cannot  be  complied  with  without  wounding  the  feelings 
of  a  number  of  officers,  whose  rank  and  merits  give  them 
every  claim  to  attention;  and  that  the  doing  of  it  would  be 
productive  of  much  dissatisfaction  and  extensive  ill  con- 
sequences." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  240. 

/  •      •  '   -i..          .1      t         •     '.I         .      '      .  .;  i  '•, 

"Those  Monopolizers — Speculators — Peculators !" 

Although  the  Congress  offered  Washington  more 
exasperating  difficulties  and  excruciating  anxieties  than 
the  enemy,  there  was  one  class  of  men — for  they  were  not 
all  pure  patriots  during  the  Revolution — who  wrought  him 
up  to  a  white  heat  of  indignation.  These  were  the  ever- 
present  army  contractors,  those  vultures  of  every  war,  of 
whom  the  commander-in-chief  wrote  to  his  military  secretary, 

Joseph  Reed,  in  1778,  as: 

"Those  murderers  of  our  cause,  the  monopolizers, 
forestallers  and  engrossers!  .  .  .  It  is  much  to  be 
lamented  that  each  State,  long  ere  this,  has  not  hunted  them 
down  as  pests  to  society  and  the  greatest  enemies  we  have 
to  the  happiness  of  America.  I  would  to  God  that  some 
one  of  the  most  atrocious  in  each  State  was  hung  in  gibbets 
upon  a  gallows  five  times  as  high  as  the  one  prepared  by 


72  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Haman.     No  punishment,  in  my  opinion,  is  too  great  for  the 
man  who  can  build  his  greatness  upon  his  country's  ruin. " 

He  wrote  to  James  Warren,  March  31,  1779: 

"  Nothing,  I  am  convinced,  but  the  depreciation  of  our 
currency,  aided  by  stock  jobbing  and  party  dissensions,  has 
fed  the  hopes  of  the  enemy,  and  kept  the  British  arms  in 
America  to  this  day. 

"The  measure  of  their  iniquity  is  not  yet  filled.  .  . 
[There  are]  glaring  instances  of  its  being  the  interest  .  of 
too  many  .  .  to  continue  the  war.  .  .  Shall  a  few 
designing  men,  for  their  own  aggrandizement,  and  to  grati- 
fy their  own  avarice,  overset  the  goodly  fabric  we  have 
been  rearing  at  the  expense  of  so  much  time,  blood  and 
treasure?  And  shall  we  at  last  become  the  victims  of 
our  own  abominable  lust  of  gain?  Forbid  it,  Heaven. 
Forbid  it  all  and  every  State  in  the  Union,  by  enacting 
and  enforcing  efficacious  laws. 

"  Our  cause  is  noble.  It  is  the  cause  of  mankind,  and 
the  danger  to  it  is  to  be  apprehended  from  ourselves.  Shall 
we  slumber  and  sleep,  then,  while  we  should  be  punishing 
those  miscreants  who  have  brought  these  troubles  upon  us 
and  who  are  aiming  to  continue  us  in  them ;  while  we  should 
be  striving  to  fill  our  battalions,  and  the  credit  on  which 
everything  depends." 

The  French  alliance  seemed  to  aggravate  this  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  People  began  to  think  England's  power  was 
breaking  up  and  the  French  would  win  the  victory.  Wash- 
ington wrote  to  Congress  that  the  American  army,  not 
England's,  was  lamentably  weak.  Then  he  added  : 

"To  me,  it  will  appear  miraculous  if  our  affairs  can 
maintain  themselves  much  longer  in  their  present  train. 
If  either  the  temper  or  the  resources  of  the  country  will  not 
admit  of  an  alteration,  we  may  expect  soon  to  be  reduced 
to  the  humiliating  condition  of  seeing  the  cause  of  America 
upheld  by  foreign  arms.  The  generosity  of  our  allies  has 


FRENCH  AID  AND  AMERICAN  GREED  73 

a  claim  to  all  our  confidence  and  all  our  gratitude,  but  it  is 
neither  for  the  honor  of  America  nor  for  the  interest  of  the 
common  cause,  to  leave  the  work  entirely  to  them." 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  Wayne  Whipple,  October  30  to  November  5,  1910. 

A  Series  of  Minor  Torments 

In  the  meantime  Clinton,  being  unable  to  meet  Wash- 
rington,  and,  indeed,  being  compelled,  by  orders,  to  confine 
himself  to  a  series  of  minor  torments,  was  annoying  the 
Americans  more  than  he  could  have  done  by  a  single  engage- 
ment. One  expedition  sent  out  by  him  at  the  end  of  1778, 
without  the  formality  of  informing  Washington  where  it 
was  going,  captured  Savannah  and  behaved  so  well  as  to 
alienate  many  of  the  people  of  Georgia  from  the  patriot 
cause.  Another  entered  Chesapeake  Bay,  capturing  Nor- 
folk and  Portsmouth,  where  were  large  quantities  of  military 
stores  and  a  number  of  naval  and  merchant  vessels.  Tryon, 
the  New  York  Tory  governor,  went  up  Long  Island  Sound 
with  a  large  force,  captured  New  Haven,  cruelly  neglected 
to  burn  down  the  old  dormitories  of  Yale  College,  destroyed 
the  town  of  Fairfield  and  most  of  Norwalk,  and  brought  back 
to  Clinton  much  news  of  the  variety  of  which,  twenty  years 
ago,  the  "reliable  contraband"  had  a  monopoly.  Tryon 
had  projected  and  Clinton  entertained  a  movement  against 
New  London  also,  but  the  conduct  of  Washington  in  the 
Highlands  prevented  it. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  186. 

The  Freedom  of  a  Private  Gentleman 

The  evening  of  the  ball  had  arrived.  The  old  Manor 
house  of  the  Perm  family,  at  Bush  Hill — then  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  the. suburbs  of  the  city — was  untenanted,  save 
by  an  aged  negro  couple  whose  business  it  was  to  keep  the 
house  and  grounds  in  some  kind  of  order,  and  was  chosen 
as  the  scene  of  the  festivities.  A  number  of  French  officers 


THE  STO&Y-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


had  come  on  to  Philadelphia  to  pay  their  respects  to  Con- 
gress— taking  advantage  of  the  curious  inactivity  which 
characterized  the  campaign  of  1779 ;  and  as  the  Philadelphia 
of  that  time,  notwithstanding  the  Quaker  element  in  society, 
was  greatly  devoted  to  pleasure-seeking,  this  ball  had  been 
devised  as  a  means  of  showing  them  honor,  and  promoting 
the  good  feeling  between  the  two  nations. 

Washington  also  had  arrived,  and  would  be  present. 
The  commander-in-chief  did  not  altogether  approve  of  the 
mirth  and  feasting  which  was  so  much  the  order  of  the  day  in 
the  Quaker  city,  but  he  was  very  anxious  that  every  kind- 
ness and  respect  should  be  shown  to  the  French  officers. 
Especially  was  he  anxious  that  it  should  be  done  at  this 
time,  when  the  unfortunate  affair  of  Rhode  Island  still 
rankled  in  the  popular  mind,  and  tended  to  reawaken  those 
feelings  of  dislike  and  contempt  for  the  French,  which  had 
grown  up  through  the  animosities  of  many  centuries. 

There  was  a  large  and  gay  party  assembled  at  the 
manor-house  of  Springettsbury  that  evening.  The  mansion 
itself  was  brilliantly  illuminated  with  wax  candles  and  lus- 
tres, and  adorned  with  mirrors  and  paintings  and  statues, 
and  the  intermingled  flags  of  France  and  the  United  S.tates ; 
while  the  extensive  grounds  attached  to  the  house,  with  their 
gravel  walks  and  evergreen  arbors  and  wilderness  of  shade, 
including  thick  groves  of  cedars  and  catalpas,  were  lighted 
up  with  Chinese  lanterns  for  the  enjoyment  of  promenaders. 
Nearly  a  hundred  French  and  American  officers  were  present, 
and  a  still  larger  number  of  civilians,  inchiding  members 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  other  gentlemen  of  high 
political  and  social  repute.  As  we  have  said,  Washington 
also  was  present,  and  the  centre  of  admiring  and  venerating 
eyes. 

The  festivities  commenced  with  a  dance  in  honor  of 
the  alliance  between  the  two  countries.  Pemberton  and 
Isabella  took  part  in  this.  -It  was  a  double  quadrille — 
which  dance  the  French  officers  had  brought  over  with  them, 
and  which  was  just  beginning  to  take  the  place  of  the  more 


FRENCH  AID  AND  AMERICAN  GREED  75 

ceremonious  minuet.  Four  of  the  eight  gentlemen  were 
arrayed  in  the  French,  and  four  in  the  American  military 
uniform;  while  four  of  the  ladies  wore  blue,  with  American 
flowers  in  their  hair,  and  four  white,  with  green  scarfs,  and 
artificial  fleurs-de-lis.  The  American  officers  dancing  with 
the  ladies  that  represented  the  French,  and  the  French 
officers  dancing  with  the  ladies  in  blue.  .  .,  -..- 

Soon  the  Alliance  Quadrille  was  over,  and  the  couples 
engaged  in  it  mingled  with  the  rest  of  the  company.  And 
then  Helen  felt  a  touch  on  her  arm,  and  turned  to  see  Pem- 
berton  and  Washington  standing  at  her  side. 

"Allow  me  to  present  to  your  Excellency,  Miss  Helen 
Graham,"  said  Pemberton.  Helen  made  a  deep  courtesy, 

"  Shall  I  have  the  pleasure  of  dancing  with  you,  Miss 
Helen?"  said  Washington;  "I  see  they  are  waiting  for 
me,  to  lead  off." 

Helen  signified  her  assent,  and  putting  her  gloved  hand 
in  the  large,  masculine  one  extended  toward  her,  was  led 
to  the  head  of  the  principal  set. 

Helen  was  so  excited  that  she  could  scarcely  trust  her- 
self to  speak.  It  seemed  hardly  regular.  His  Excellency 
many  evidently  thought,  should  have  begun  with  Mrs. 
President  Reed,  and  danced  with  some  twenty  other  dow- 
agers before  ever  thinking  of  the  young  ladies.  But  it  was 
not  a  clear  case  of  fascination  and  wilfulness.  Washington 
reverenced  the  proprieties,  although  they  were  intolerably 
irksome  to  him  at  times.  But,  strictly  speaking,  this  was 
not  a  ball  in  his  honor — it  was  in  honor  of  the  French — 
and  he  merely  attended  as  a  private  gentleman ;  therefore  he 
was  entitled  to  exercise  the  freedom  of  a  private  gentleman. 

Pemberton,  Henry  Peterson,  p.   264. 

"Not    Expedient    to    Expose    the    Highest    Virtues    to    Such 

Temptations" 

The  .  .  .  defects  in  the  military  system,  were 
pressed  by  Washington  upon  the  attention  of  Congress  in 
a  letter  to  the  President:  "  It  were  devoutly  to  be  wished," 


76  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

observed  he,  "that  a  plan  could  be  devised  by  which  every- 
thing relating  to  the  army  could  be  conducted  on  a  general 
principle,  under  the  direction  of  Congress.  This  alone  can 
give  harmony  and  consistency  to  our  military  establishment, 
and  I  am  persuaded  that  it  will  be  infinitely  conducive 
to  public  economy." 

In  consequence  of  this  letter  it  was  proposed  in  Con- 
gress to  send  a  committee  of  three  of  its  members  to  head- 
quarters to  consult  with  the  commander-in-chief,  and,  in 
conjunction  with  him,  to  effect  such  reforms  and  changes 
in  the  various  departments  of  the  army  as  might  be  deemed 
necessary.  Warm  debates  ensued.  It  was  objected  that 
this  would  put  too  much  power  into  a  few  hands,  and 
especially  into  those  of  the  commander-in-chief;  "that  his 
influence  was  already  too  great;  that  even  his  virtues  afforded 
motives  for  alarm;  that  the  enthusiasm  of  the  army  joined  to 
the  kind  of  dictatorship  already  confided  to  him,  put  Congress 
and  the  United  States  at  his  mercy;  that  it  was  not  expedient 
to  expose  a  man  of  the  highest  virtues  to  such  temptations." 

Life  of  Gtorgt  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  58. 


France  acknowledges  United  States  independence 

February  6,  1778 
British  evacuation  of  Philadelphia.  ..  .June   18,  1778 

Battle  of  Monmouth June  28,  1778 

Indian    massacre    at    Wyoming,    Pennsylvania, 

July  3,  1778 

Indian  outrages  at  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  n,  1778 
British  capture  Savannah December  29,  1778 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
44 NOT  WORTH  A  CONTINENTAL!" 
Story  of  Stony  Point  by  a  Participant 

General  Washington  had  planned  an  enterprise  against 
the  posts  at  King's  Ferry,  comprehending  a  double  attack, 
to  be  made  at  the  same  time,  on  both.  But  the  difficulty 
of  a  perfect  co-operation  of  detachments,  incapable  of 
communicating  with  each  other,  determined  him  to  post- 
pone the  attack  on  Verplanck's,  and  to  make  that  part 
of  the  plan  dependent  on  the  success  of  the  first.  His 
whole  attention  therefore  was  turned  to  Stony  Point;  and 
the  troops  destined  for  this  critical  service  proceeded  on 
it  as  against  a  single  object. 

The  execution  of  the  plan  was  entrusted  to  General 
Wayne,  who  commanded  the  light  infantry  of  the  army. 
Secrecy  was  deemed  so  much  more  essential  to  success  than 
numbers,  that  no  addition  was  made  to  the  force  already 
in  the  lines.  One  brigade  was  ordered  to  commence  its 
march,  so  as  to  reach  the  scene  of  action  in  time  to  cover 
the  troops  engaged  in  the  attack,  should  any  unlocked  for 
disaster  befall  them,  and  Major  Lee  of  the  light  dragoons, 
who  had  been  eminently  useful  in  obtaining  the  intelligence 
which  led  to  the  enterprise,  was  associated  with  General 
Wayne,  as  far  as  cavalry  could  be  employed  in  such  a  service. 
The  night  of  the  fifteenth,  and  the  hour  of  twelve,  were 
chosen  for  the  assault. 

Stony  Point  is  a  commanding  hill,  projecting  far  into 
the  Hudson,  which  washes  three-fourths  of  its  base.  The 
remaining  fourth  is,  in  a  great  measure,  covered  by  a  deep 
marsh,  commencing  near  the  river,  and  continuing  into  it 
below.  Over  this  marsh  there  is  only  one  crossing  place; 

(77) 


7 8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

but  at  its  junction  with  the  river,  is  a  sandy  beach,  passable 
at  low  tide.  On  the  summit  of  this  hill  stood  the  fort,  which 
was  furnished  with  heavy  ordnance.  Several  breast-works 
and  strong  batteries  were  advanced  in  front  of  the  main 
work;  and,  about  half  way  down  the  hill  were  two  rows  of 
abatis.  The  batteries  were  calculated  to  command  the 
beach  and  the  crossing  place  of  the  marsh,  and  to  rake  and 
enfilade  any  column  which  might  be  advancing  from  either 
of  those  points  towards  the  fort.  In  addition  to  these 
defenses,  several  vessels  of  war  were  stationed  in  the  river, 
and  commanded  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  about  six  hundred  men,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Johnson. 

General  Wayne  arrived  about  eight  in  the  afternoon  at 
Spring  Steel's,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  fort ;  and  made 
his  dispositions  for  the  assault. 

It  was  intended  to  attack  the  works  on  the  right  and 
left  flanks  at  the  same  instant.  The  regiments  of  Febiger 
and  of  Meigs,  with  Major  Hull's  detachment,  formed  the 
right -column;  and  Butler's  regiment,  with  two  companies 
under  Major  Murfree,  formed  the  left.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  volunteers,  led  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Fleury  and 
Major  Posey,  constituted,  the  van  of  the  right ;  and  one  hun- 
dred volunteers  under  Major  Stewart,  composed  the  van 
to  the  left.  At  half  past  eleven  the  two  columns  moved  to 
the  assault,  the  van  of  each  with  unloaded  muskets  and 
fixed  bayonets.  They  were  each  preceded  by  a  forlorn  hope 
of  twenty  men,  the  one  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Gibbon, 
and  the  other  by  Lieutenant  Knox.  They  reached  the 
marsh  undiscovered;  and  at  twenty  minutes  after  twelve, 
commenced  the  assault. 

Both  columns  rushed  forward  under  a  tremendous  fire. 
Surmounting  every  obstacle,  they  entered  the  works  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet;  and,  without  discharging  a-  single 
musket,  obtained  possession  of  the  fort. 

The  humanity  displayed  by  the  conquerors  was  not 


"NOT  WORTH  A  CONTINENTAL"  79 

less  conspicuous,  nor  less  honorable  than  their  courage. 
Not  an  individual  suffered  after  resistance  had  ceased. 

All  the  troops  engaged  in  this  perilous  service  mani- 
fested a  degree  of  ardor  and  impetuosity,  which  proved 
them  to  be  capable  of  the  most  difficult  enterprises;  and  all 
distinguished  themselves,  whose  situation  enabled  "them  to 
do  so.  Colonel  Fleury  was  the  first  to  enter  the  fort  and 
strike  the  British  standard.  Major  Posey  mounted  the 
works  almost  at  the  same  instant,  and  was  the  first  to  give 
the  watch- word — "The  fort's  our  own. "—Lieutenants 
Gibbon  and  Knox  performed  the  service  allotted  to  'them 
with  a  degree  of  intrepidity  which  could  not  be  surpassed. 
Of  twenty  men  who  constituted  the  party  of  the  former, 
seventeen  were  killed  or  wounded. 

Sixty-three  of  the  garrison  were  killed,  including  two 
officers.  The  prisoners  amounted  to  five  hundred  and 
forty-three,  among  whom  were  one  lieutenant-colonel,  four 
captains,  and  twenty  subaltern  officers.  The  military  stores 
taken  in  the  fort  were  considerable. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  assailants  was  not  propor- 
tioned to  the  apparent  danger  of  the  enterprise.  The  killed 
and  wounded  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  men;  General 
Wayne,  who  marched  with  Febiger's  regiment  in  the  right 
column,  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  head  which  stunned 
him  for  the  time,  but  did  not  compel  him  to  leave  the  column. 
Being  supported  by  his  aids,  he  entered  the  fort  with  the 
regiment. 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  John  Marshall,  Vol.  I,  p.  310. 

A  Recent  Account  of  the  Capture  of  Stony  Point 

At  Stony  Point  and  Verplanck's  Point  were  the  southern 
outposts  of  the  defenses  of  the  Hudson  River  Highlands, 
and,  consequently,  of  the  only  available  roads  between 
New  England  and  the  colonies.  On  the  last  day  of  spring 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  seventy  ships  and  about  five  thou- 
sand men,  appeared  before  these  posts  and  proceeded  to 


8o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

surround  them.  On  one  point  was  a  finished  fort,  and  on 
the  other  an  unfinished  one,  which  was  abandoned  by  its 
garrison  of  thirty  men.  Fort  Lafayette,  on  Verplanck's 
Point,  was  bombarded  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
cannonaded  by  the  fleet,  and  approached  by  a  large  land 
force,  so,  quite  naturally,  the  garrison,  consisting  of  only 
seventy  men,  surrendered.  Both  forts  were  greatly  strength- 
ened and  strongly  garrisoned  by  the  British,  and  they 
were  the  most  undesirable  neighbors  Washington  had  ever 
known,  for  not  far  above  them  were  the  only  remaining 
defenses  of  the  line,  of  communication  between  the  two 
sections  of  the  colonies.  Besides,  the  country  needed  a 
change  from  the  dismal  succession  of  depressing  events  that 
had  occurred,  so  Washington  resolved  to  capture  \he  two 
forts.  It  may  be  well  to  remind  the  reader,  at  this  point, 
that,  although  Washington  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
embodiment  of  caution,  the  brilliant  and  desperate  dashes 
by  which  his  army  from  time  to  time  distinguished  itself 
were  all  of  his  own  devising.  So  able  was  he  at  this  appar- 
ently uncongenial  work  that  Wayne,  who  was  the  standard 
authority  on  desperate  operations,  said  he  would  "  storm 
hell"  if  Washington  would  only  plan  the  affair.  In  view 
of  much  subsequent  and  unprofitable  discussion,  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  commander-in-chief  did  not  act  on 
Wayne's  hint. 

The  portion  of  Stony  Point  on  which  the  fort  stood, 
jutted  far  out  into  the  Hudson  and  was  so  nearly  surrounded 
by  water  that  it  could  be  approached  by  a  narrow  bridge. 
The  works  themselves,  completed  and  greatly  strengthened 
by  the  British,  abounded  in  heavy  guns,  abatis,  ditches,  and 
other  reprehensible  things  devised  especially  to  discourage 
American  visitors ;  it  also  contained  six  -  hundred  British 
soldiers.  Wayne,  with  three  hundred  infantry,  was  sent 
to  surprise  and  capture  the  fort,  another  body  of  troops 
being  sent  down  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  to  make 
an  attempt  on  the  fort  at  Verplanck's  Point.  Washington 


'NOT  WORTH  A  CONTINENTAL''  81 


ordered  that  the  assault  of  Stony  Point  be  made  at  mid- 
night, the  hour  before  dawn  having  already  become  so 
common  for  such  affairs  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  a 
surprise  party  surprising. 

Wayne  was  successful  in  every  particular,  even  to  that 
of  getting  so  severe  a  rap  on  the  head  from  a  musket-ball 
that  he  made  a  small  dying  speech  on  suspicion.  About 
one-third  of  his  men  were  killed  or  wounded,  but  the  remain- 
der took  in  charge  nearly  three  times  their  own  number 
of  the  enemy.  At  daybreak  h«  taught  the  British  ships 
how  it  felt  to  be  peppered  by  their  own  artillery,  but  they 
enjoyed  it  so  little  that  they  made  haste  to  depart. 

The  movement  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  failed, 
and  as  the  British  had  inconsiderately  fortified  Stony 
Point  in  such  a  way  that  it  could  be  of  no  use  to  any  one 
but  themselves,  the  post  was  finally  abandoned,  but  not 
before  news  of  its  capture  had  flown  all  over  the  country, 
as  it  afterward  did  over  the  civilized  world.  Foreign 
soldiers  still  talk  of  Wayne's  dash  as  one  of  the  most  daring 
and  successful  recorded,  in  military  history.  As  for  Clinton, 
he  assumed  that  the  operation  meant  that  Washington 
was  moving  down  the  river  to  fight,,  so  he 'hastened  up  to 
meet  him,  but  was  obliged  to  return  to  New  York  a  wiser 
and  a  sadder  man,  for  Washington  never  fought  until 
entirely  ready. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  187. 

"Light-horse  Harry"  Takes  Paulus  Hook 

But  Stony  Point  could  not  be  held.  The  patriots  had 
to  abandon  it  again  to  Clinton  within  three  or  four  days. 
The  taking  of  it  had  been  inspiriting,  and  brought  Tryon 
back  from  his  raid  into  Connecticut ;  but  it  was  not  of 
permanent  value.  No  real  headway  could  be  made  against 
Clinton's  wearing-out  policy. 

About  a  month  after  the  taking  of  Stony  Point,  Light- 
horse  Harry  Lee,  of  Virginia,  the  father  of  Robert  E.  Lee, 


82  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

of  the  Civil  War,  attacked  in  the  same  way  the  fort  on  Paulus 
Hook,  which  was  a  spit  or  isthmus  of  sand  at  the  present 
site  of  -Jersey  City.  He  got  into  the  fort  and  took  one 
hundred  and  fifty  prisoners,  but  was  obliged  instantly  to 
abandon  it,  because  the  British  were  coming  to  the  rescue 
from  New  York. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  384. 

To  Suffer  Was  the  Lot  of  the  Revolutionary  Soldier 

The  dreary  encampment  at  Valley  Forge  has  become 
proverbial  for  its  hardships;  yet  they  were  scarcely  more 
severe  than  those  suffered  by  Washington's  army  during 
the  present  winter,  while  hutted  among  the  heights  of  Morris- 
town.  The  winter  set  in  early,  an.d  was  uncommonly 
rigorous.  The  transportation  of  supplies  was  obstructed; 
the  magazines  were  exhausted,  ancl  the  commissaries  had 
neither  money  nor  credit  to  enable  them  to  replenish  them. 
For  weeks  at  a  time  the  army  was  on  half  allowance ;  some- 
times without  meat,  sometimes  without  bread;  sometimes 
without  both.  There  was  a  scarcity,  too,  of  clothing  and 
blankets,  so  that  the  poor  soldiers  were  starving  with  cold 
as  well  as  hunger. 

Washington  wrote  to  President  -Reed  of  Pennsylvania, 
entreating  aid  and  supplies  from  that  State  to  keep  his  army 
from  disbanding.  "  We  have  never, "  said  he,  "  experienced 
a  like  extremity  at  any  period  of  the  war. " 

The  year  1780  opened  upon  a  famishing  camp.  "For 
a  fortnight  past, "  writes  Washington,  on  the  8th  of  January, 
"the  troops,  both  officers  and  men,  have  been  almost 
perishing  with  want.  "Yet,"  adds  he,  feelingly,  "they 
have  borne  their  sufferings  with  a  patience  that  merits  the 
approbation,  and  ought  to  excite  the  sympathies,  of  their 
countrymen." 

The  severest  trials  of  the  Revolution,  in  fact,  were  not 
in  the  field,  where  there  were  shouts  to  excite  and  laurels 
to  be  won ;  but  in  the  squalid  wretchedness  of  ill-provided 


"NOT  WORTH  A  CONTINENTAL"  83 

camps,  where  there  was  nothing  to  cheer  and  everything  to 
be  endured.  To  suffer  was  the  lot  of  the  revolutionary 
soldier. 

Life  of  George  Washington ,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  21. 

Welcome  News  from  Lafayette 

At  this  gloomy  crisis  came  a  letter  from  the  Marquis 
de  Lafayette,  dated  April  27th,  announcing  his  arrival  at 
Boston.  Washington's  eyes,  we  are  told,  were  suffused 
with  tears  as  he  read  this  most  welcome  epistle,  and  the 
warmth  with  which  he  replied  to  it,  showed  his  affectionate 
regard  for  this  young  nobleman.  "  I  received  your  letter, " 
writes  he,  "with  all  the  joy  that  the  sincerest  friendship 
could  dictate,  and  with  that  impatience  which  an  ardent 
desire  to  see  you  could  not  fail  to  inspire.  .  .;  .-  .  I  most 
sincerely  congratulate  you  on  your  safe  arrival  in  America, 
and  shall  embrace  you  with  all  the  warmth  of  an  affectionate 
friend  when  you  come  to  headquarters,  where  a  bed  is 
prepared  for  you." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  61. 

Speaking  of  His  Personal  Appearance 

Speaking  of  his  personal  appearance  he  [Marquis  de 
Chastellux]  writes:  "His  form  is  noble  and  elevated,  well- 
shaped  and  exactly  proportioned ;  his  physiognomy  mild  and 
agreeable,  but  such,  that  one  does  not  speak  in  particular  of 
any  one  of  his  traits ;  and  that  in  quitting  him  there  remains 
simply  the  recollection  of  a  fine  countenance.  His  air  is 
neither  grave  nor  familiar;  one  sees  sometimes  on  his  fore- 
head the  marks  of  thought,  but  never  of  inquietude ;  while 
inspiring  respec^  he  inspires  confidence,  and  his  smile  is 
always  that  of  benevolence. 

"Above  all,  it  is  interesting,"  continues  the  marquis, 
"to  see  him  in  the  midst  of  the  general  officers  of  his  army. 
General  in  a  republic,  he  has  not  the  imposing  state  of  a 
marshal  of  France  who  gives  the  order;  hero  in  a  republic, 


84  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

he  excites  a  different  sort  of  respect,  which  seems  to  originate 
in  this  sole  idea,  that  the  welfare  of  each  individual  is 
attached  to  his  person." 

He  sums  up  his  character  in  these  words:  "Brave 
without  temerity;  laborious  without  ambition;  generous 
without  prodigality ;  noble  without  pride ;  virtuous  without 
severity;  he  always  seems  to  stop  short  of  that  limit,  where 
the  virtues,  assuming  colors  more  vivid,  but  more  change- 
able and  dubious,  might  be  taken  for  defects. " 

Life  of  Geoxge  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  217. 

An  Invitation  to  Dine  at  Headquarters 

He  saw  very  clearly  that  while  the  separate  States 
were  looking  after  their  several  affairs,  the  Congress  which 
represented  the  whole  country  was  losing  its  influence  and 
power.  "I  think  our  political  system,"  he  wrote,  "may 
be  compared  to  the  mechanism  of  a  clock,  and  that  we  should 
derive  a  lesson  from  it;  for  it  answers  no  good  purpose  to 
keep  the  smaller  wheels  in  order,  if  the  greater  one,  which 
is  the  support  and  prime  mover  of  the  whole,  is  neglected. " 

He  was  indignant  at  the  manner  in  which  congressmen, 
and  others  who  were  concerned  in  the  affairs  of  the  country, 
spent  their  time  in  Philadelphia.  "An  assembly,"  he  said, 
"a  concert,  a  dinner,  a  supper,  that  will  cost  three  or  four 
hundred  pounds,  will  not  only  take  off  men  from  acting 
in  this  business,  but  even  from  thinking  of  it ;  while  a  great 
part  of  the  officers  of  our  army,  from  absolute  necessity, 
are  quitting  the.  service ;  and  the  more  virtuous  few,  rather 
than  do  this,  are  sinking  by  sure  degrees  into  beggary  and 
want."  How  simply  he  himself  lived  may  be  seen  by  the 
jocose  letter  which  he  wrote  to  a  friend,  inviting  him  to  dine 
with  him  at  headquarters.  The  letter  is  a'ddressed  to  Dr. 
Cochran,  surgeon-general  in  the  army: 

"Dear  Doctor: — I  have  asked  Mrs.  Cochran  and  Mrs. 
Livingston  to  dine  with  me  to-morrow;  but  am  I  not  in 
honor  bound  to  apprise  them  of  their  fare?  As  I  hate 


"NOT  WORTH  A  CONTINENTAL"  85 

deception,  even  where  the  imagination  only  is  concerned, 
I  will.  It  is  needless  to  premise  that  my  table  is  large 
enough  to  hold  the  ladies.  Of  this  they  had  ocular  proof 
yesterday.  To  say  how  it  is  usually  covered  is  rather  more 
essential ;  and  this  shall  be  the  purport  of  my  letter. 

"  Since  our  arrival  at  this  happy  spot,  we  have  had  a 
ham,  sometimes  a  shoulder  of  bacon,  to  grace  the  head  of  the 
table;  a  piece  of  roast  beef  adorns  the  foot;  and  a  dish  of 
beans  or  greens,  almost  imperceptible,  decorates  the  centre. 
When  the  cook  has  a  mind  to  cut  a  figure,  which  I  presume 
will  be  the  ca,se  to-morrow,  we  have  two  beefsteak  pies, 
or  dishes  of  crabs,  dividing  the  space,  to  about  six  feet, 
which  without  them,  would  be  near  twelve  feet  apart.  Of 
late  he  has  had  the  surprising  sagacity  to  discover  that  apples 
will  make  pies ;  and  it  is  a  question  if,  in  the  violence  of  his 
efforts,  we  do  not  get  one  of  apples,  instead  of  having  both 
of  beefsteaks.  If  the  ladies  can  put  up  with  such  entertain- 
ment, and  will  submit  to  partake  of  it  on  plates  once  tin 
but  now  iron  (not  become  so  by  the  labor  of  scouring),  I 
shall  be  happy  to  see  them;  and  am,  dear  Doctor,  yours, " 

[G.  WASHINGTON]. 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  194. 

A  Continental  System  of  "Donation  Parties" 

During  the  summer  of  1780  this  wretched  "  Continental" 
currency  fell  into  contempt.  As  Washington  said,  it  took 
a  wagon  load  of  money  to  buy  a  wagon  load  of  provisions. 
At  the  end  of  the  year  1778,  the  paper  dollar  was  worth 
sixteen  cents  in  the  northern  States  and  twelve  cents  in  the 
South.  Early  in  1780  its  value  had  fallen  to  two  cents,  and 
before  the  end  of  the  year  it  took  ten  paper  dollars  to  make  a 
cent.  In  October,  Indian  corn  sold  wholesale  in  Boston  for 
$150  a  bushel,  butter  was  $12  a  pound,  tea  $90,  sugar  $10, 
beef  $8,  coffee  $12,  and  a  barrel  of  flour  cost  $1,575.  Samuel 
Adams  paid  $2,000  for  a  hat  and  a  suit  of  clothes.  The 
money  soon  ceased  to  circulate,  debts  could  not  be  collected, 


86  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  there  was  a  general  prostration  of  credit.  To  say  that 
a  thing  was  "  not  worth  a  Continental "  became  the  strongest 
possible  expression  of  contempt.  A  barber  in  Philadelphia 
papered  his  shop  with  bills,  and  a  dog  was  led  up  and  down 
the  streets,  smeared  with  tar,  with  this  unhappy  money  all 
over  him, — a  sorry  substitute  for  the  golden-fleeced  sheep 
of  the  old  Norse  legend.  Save  for  the  scanty  pittance  of 
gold  which  came  in  from  the  French  alliance,  from  the  little 
foreign  commerce  that  was  left,  and  from  trade  with  the 
British  army  itself,  the  country  was  without  any  circulating 
medium.  In  making  its  requisitions  upon  the  States,  Con- 
gress resorted  to  a  measure  which  reminds  one  of  the  barbaric 
ages  of  barter.  Instead  of  asking  for  money,  it  requested 
the  States  to  send  in  their  "specific  supplies"  of  beef  and 
pork,  flour  and  rice,  salt  and  hay,  tobacco  and  rum.  The 
finances  of  what  was  so  soon  to  become  the  richest  of  nations 
were  thus  managed  on  the  principle  whereby  the  meager 
salaries  of  country  clergymen  used  to  be  eked  out.  It 
might  have  been  called  a  Continental  system  of  "  donation 
parties. " 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  198. 


General    Anthony  Wayne's   brilliant  capture  of 

Stony  Point    July  15,  1779 

British  forces  take  possession  of  Georgia Z779 

Captain  John   Paul  Jones's  great  naval  victory, 

off  Flamborough  Head,  England,  Sept.  23,  1779 


CHAPTER  XXV 


Benedict  Arnold,  before  the  Great  Treason 

Early  in  the  spring  there  fell  to  Washington  the  very 
unpleasant  task  of  reprimanding  Benedict  Arnold,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  finding  and  sentence  of  a  court-martial. 
The  heinous  and  shameful  nature  of  Arnold's  subsequent 
crime  has  almost  entirely  deprived  the  rascal  of  any  credit 
for  previous  sendees;  but  the  truth  is,  that  he  was  an  able, 
patriotic  soldier,  fertile  in  expedient,  brave  in  action,  untir- 
ing in  effort,  hopeful  under  disaster,  and  unselfish  in  his 
relations  with  his  fellow  soldiers.  It  is  also  true  that  no 
other  general  officer,  not  even  Schuyler,  was  so  shamefully 
abused  and  so  frequently  and  inexcusably  kept  for  long 
periods  of  time  in  extreme  indignation.  In  spite  of  all  this, 
he  might  have  retired  from  the  army  with  honor,  had 
monuments  half  finished  to  his  memory,  and  been  like  Wash- 
ington, godfather  to  innumerable  post-towns,  tug-boats, 
and  baking-powders,  had  it  not  been  for  one  fatal  defect 
of  character;  he  was  a  spendthrift.  Most  of  the  American 
officers  who  were  not  in  good  circumstances  when  the  war 
began  were  necessarily  in  debt,  but  Arnold  aggravated  this 
undesirable  condition  by  extravagance.  For  the  honest 
debtor  there  is  hope  while  life  remains,  but  any  kind  of  a 
scoundrel  can  be  made  of  a  spendthrift. 

In  the  unrelieved,  steadily  increasing  misery  of  his 
financial  condition,  Arnold's  manner  became  offensive. 
As  military  governor  of  Philadelphia  he  was  ostentatious, 
and  some  of  his  actions  and  accounts  were  irregular  enough 
to  excite  suspicion,  but  the  evidence  adduced  by  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  which  instigated  the  trial  by  court-martial 

(87) 


88  THE  STORY-LIFE  OR  WASHINGTON 

proves  scarcely  anything  except  that  Pennsylvanians  dis- 
liked Arnold. 

The  reprimand  administered  by  Washington  was,  like 
almost  all  his  other  utterances  in  trying  circumstances,  a 
proof  of  the  delicacy  and  nobility  of  the  commander-in- 
chief's  nature.  It  was  as  follows:  "Our  profession  is  the 
chastest  of  all;  even  the  shadow  of  a  fault  tarnishes  the 
luster  of  our  finest  achievements.  The  least  inadvertence 
may  rob  us  of  public  favor,  so  hard  to  be  acquired.  I 
reprehend  you  for  having  forgotten  that,  in  proportion  as 
you  had  rendered  yourself  formidable  to  our  enemies,  you 
should  have  been  guarded  and  temperate  in  your  deport- 
ment toward  your  fellow-citizens.  Exhibit  anew  those 
noble  qualities  which  have  placed  you  on  the  list  o(  zur  most 
valued  commanders.  I  will  myself  furnish  you,  as  far  as 
may  be  in  my  power,  with  opportunities  of  regaining  the 
esteem  of  your  country. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  198. 

"The  Army  They  Will  Never  Conquer" 

The  story  of  Arnold's  treason  is  easily  told.  Its 
romantic  side  has  made  it  familiar  to  all  Americans,  and 
given  it  a  factitious  importance.  Had  it  succeeeded  it 
would  have  opened  vast  opportunities  of  disaster  to  America. 
It  failed,  and  had  no  result  whatever.  It  has  passed  into 
history  simply  as  a  picturesque  episode,  charged  with 
possibilities  which  fascinate  the  imagination,  but  having, 
in  itself,  neither  meaning  nor  consequences  beyond  the  two 
conspirators.  To  us  it  is  of  interest,  because  it  shows 
Washington  in  one  of  the  sharpest  and  bitterest  experiences 
of  his  life.  Let  us  see  how  he  met  it  and  dealt  with  it. 

From  the  day  when  the  French  landed,  both  De  Roch- 
ambeau  and  Washington  had  been  most  anxious  to  meet. 
The  French  general  had  been  particularly  urgent,  but  it 
was  difficult  for  Washington  to  get  away.  As  he  wrote  on 
October  2ist: 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDR&  89 

"  We  are  about  ten  miles  from  the  enemy.  Our  popular 
government  imposes  a  necessity  of  great  circumspection. 
If  any  misfortune  should  happen  in  my  absence,  it  would 
be  attended  with  every  inconvenience.  I  will,  however, 
endeavor,  if  possible,  and  as  soon  as  possible,  to  meet  you 
at  some  convenient  rendezvous." 

In  accordance  with  this  promise,  a  few  weeks  later, 
he  left  Greene  in  command  of  the  army,  and,  not  without 
misgivings,  started  on  September  i8th  to  meet  De  Rocham- 
beau.  On  his  way  he  had  an  interview  with  Arnold,  who 
came  to  him  to  show  a  letter  from  the  loyalist  Colonel  Robin- 
son, and  thus  disarm  suspicion  as  to  his  doings.  On  the 
2oth,  the  day  when  Andre  and  Arnold  met  to  arrange  the 
terms  of  the  sale,  Washington  was  with  De  Rochambeau 
at  Hartford.  News  had  arrived,  meantime,  that  De  Guichen 
had  sailed  for  Europe ;  the  command  of  the  sea  was  therefore 
lost,  and  the  opportunity  for  action  had  gone  by.  There 
was  no  need  for  further  conference,  and  Washington  accord- 
ingly set  out  on  his  return  at  once,  two  or  three  days  earlier 
than  he  had  intended. 

He  was  accompanied  by  his  own  staff,  and  by  Knox 
and  Lafayette  with  their  officers.  With  him,  too,  went 
the  young  Count  Dumas,  who  has  left  a  description  of  their 
journey,  and  of  the  popular  enthusiasm  displayed  in  the 
towns  through  which  they  passed.  In  one  village,  which 
they  reached  after  nightfall,  all  the  people  turned  out,  the 
children  bearing  torches,  and  men  and  women  hailed 
Washington  as  father,  and  pressed  about  him  to  touch  the 
hem  of  his  garments.  Turning  to  Dumas  he  said,  "  We  may 
be  beaten  by  the  English ;  it  is  the  chance  of  war ;  but  there 
is  the  army  they  will  never  conquer."  Political  leaders 
grumbled,  and  military  officers  caballed,  but  the  popular 
feeling  went  out  to  Washington  with  a  sure  and  utter  con- 
fidence. The  people  in  that  little  village  recognized  the 
great  and  unselfish  leader  as  they  recognized  Lincoln  a 
century  later,  and  from  the  masses  of  the  people  no  one  ever 


po  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

heard  the  cry  that  Washington  was  cold  or  unsympathetic. 
They  loved  him,  and  believed  in  him,  and  such  a  manifes- 
tation of  their  devotion  touched  him  deeply.  His  spirits 
rose  under  the  spell  of  appreciation  and  affection,  always  so 
strong  upon  human  nature,  and  he  rode  away  from  Fishkill 
the  next  morning  at  daybreak  with  a  light  heart. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge    Vol.  I    p.  273. 

"Whom  Can  We  Trust  Now  ?" 

The  company  was  pleasant  and  lively,  the  morning  was 
fair,  and  as  they  approached  Arnold's  headquarters  at  the 
Robinson  house,  Washington  off  to  the  redoubts  by  the 
river,  telling  the  young  men  that  they  were  all  in  love  with 
Mrs.  Arnold  and  would  do  well  to  go  straight  on  and  break- 
fast with  her.  Hamilton  and  McHenry  followed  his  advice, 
and  while  they  were  at  breakfast  a  note  was  brought  to 
Arnold.  It  was  a  letter  of  warning  from  Andre  announcing 
his  capture,  which  Colonel  Jameson,  who  ought  to  have 
been  cashiered  for  doing  it,  had  forwarded.  Arnold  at  once 
left  the  table,  and  saying  that  he  was  going  to  West  Point, 
jumped  into  his  boat  and  was  rowed  rapidly  down  the  river 
to  the  British  man-of-war.  Washington  on  his  arrival  was 
told  that  Arnold  had  gone  to  the  fort,  and  so  after  a  hasty 
breakfast  he  went  over  there  himself.  On  reaching  West 
Point  no  salute  broke  the  stillness,  and  no  guard  turned  out 
to  receive  him.  He  was  astonished  to  learn  that  his  arrival 
was  unexpected,  and  that  Arnold  had  not  been  there  for 
two  days.  Still  unsuspecting  he  inspected  the  works  and 
then  returned. 

Meantime,  the  messenger  sent  to  Hartford  with  the 
papers  taken  on  Andre  reached  the  Robinson  house  and 
delivered  them  to  Hamilton,  together  with  a  letter  of  con- 
fession from  Andre  himself.  Hamilton  read  them,  and 
hurrying  out  met  Washington  just  coming  up  from  the  river. 
He  took  his  chief  aside,  said  a  few  words  to  him  in  a  low  voice, 
and  they  went  into  the  house  together.  When  they  came 


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ARNOLD  AND  ANDRE  91 

out,  Washington  looked  as  calm  as  ever,  and  calling  to 
Lafayette  and  Knox  gave  them  the  papers,  saying  simply, 
"Whom  can  we  trust  now?"  He  dispatched  Hamilton  at 
once  to  try  to  intercept  Arnold  at  Verplanck's  Point,  but 
it  was  too  late ;  the  boat  had  passed,  and  Arnold  was  safe 
on  board  the  Vulture.  This  done,  Washington  bade  his 
staff  sit  down  with  him  to  dinner,  as  the  general  was  absent, 
and  Mrs.  Arnold  was  ill  in  her  room.  Dinner  over,  he 
immediately  set  about  guarding  the  post,  which  had  been 
so  near  betrayal.  To  Colonel  Wade  at  West  Point  he  wrote : 
"Arnold  has  gone  to  the  enemy;  you  are  in  command,  be 
vigilant."  To  Jameson  he  sent  word  to  guard  Andre 
closely.  To  the  colonels  and  commanders  of  various 
outlying  regiments  he  sent  orders  to  bring  up  their  troops. 
Everything  was  done  that  should  have  been  done,  quickly, 
quietly,  and  without  comment.  The  most  sudden  and 
appalling  treachery  had  failed  to  shake  his  nerve,  or  confuse 
his  mind. 

Yet  the  strong  and  silent  man  was  wrung  to  the  quick, 
and  when  everything  possible  had  been  done,  and  he  had 
retired  to  his  room,  the  guard  outside  the  door  heard  him 
marching  back  and  forth  through  all  the  weary  night.  The 
one  thing  he  least  expected,  because  he  least  understood  it, 
had  come  to  pass.  He  had  been  a  good  and  true  friend 
to  the  villain  who  had  fled,  for  Arnold's  reckless  bravery 
and  dare-devil  fighting  had  appealed  to  the  strongest 
passion  of  his  nature,  and  he  had  stood  by  him  always. 
He  had  grieved  over  the  refusal  of  Congress  to  promote  him 
in  due  order,  and  had  interceded  with  ultimate  success  on 
his  behalf.  He  had  sympathized  with  him  in  his  recent 
troubles  in  Philadelphia,  and  had  administered  the  repri- 
mand awarded  by  court-martial  so  that  rebuke  seemed 
turned  to  praise.  He  had  sought  to  give  him  every  oppor- 
tunity that  a  soldier  could  desire,  and  had  finally  conferred 
upon  him  the  command  of  West  Point.  He  had  admired 
his  courage  and  palliated  his  misconduct,  and  now  the 


THE  STORY  -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


scoundrel  had  turned  on  him  and  fled.  Mingled  with  the 
bitterness  of  these  memories  of  betrayed  confidence  was 
the  torturing  ignorance  of  how  far  this  base  treachery  had 
extended.  For  all  he  knew  there  might  be  a  brood  of 
traitors  about  him  in  the  very  citadel  of  America.  We  can 
never  know  Washington's  thoughts  at  that  time,  for  he 
was  ever  silent,  but  as  we  listen  in  imagination  to  the  sound 
of  the  even  footfalls  which  the  guard  heard  all  through  that 
September  night,  we  can  dimly  guess  the  feelings  of  that 
strong  and  passionate  nature,  wounded  and  distressed  almost 
beyond  endurance. 

There  is  but  little  more  to  tell.  The  conspiracy  stopped 
with  Arnold.  He  had  no  accomplices,  and  meant  to  deliver 
the  fort  and  pocket  the  booty  alone.  The  British  tried  to 
spread  the  idea  that  other  officers  had  been  corrupted,  but 
the  attempt  failed,  and  Washington's  prompt  measures  of 
defense  checked  any  movement  against  the  forts.  Every 
effort  was  made  by  Clinton  to  save  Andre,  but  in  vain. 
He  was  tried  by  a  court  composed  of  the  highest  officers 
in  the  American  service,  among  whom  was  Lafayette.  On 
his  own  statement,  but  one  decision  was  possible.  He 
was  condemned  as  a  spy,  and  as  a  spy  he  was  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  He  made  a  manly  appeal  against  the  manner 
of  his  death,  and  begged  to  be  shot.  Washington  declined 
to  interfere,  and  Andre  went  to  the  gallows. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  275. 

"He  Wants  Feeling"  ' 

The  British,  at  the  time,  and  some  of  their  writers 
afterward,  attacked  Washington  for  insisting  on  this  mode 
of  execution,  but  there  never  was  an  instance  in  his  career 
when  he  was  more  entirely  right.  Andre  was  a  spy  and 
briber,  who  sought  to  ruin  the  American  cause  by  means 
of  the  treachery  of  an  American  general.  It  was  a  dark  and 
dangerous  game,  and  he  knew  that  he  staked  his  life  on  the 
result.  He  failed  and  paid  the  penalty.  Washington  could 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDRE  93 

not  permit,  he  would  have  been  grossly  and  feebly  culpable 
if  he  had  permitted,  such  an  attempt  to  pass  without 
extreme  punishment.  He  was  generous  and  magnanimous, 
but  he  was  not  a  sentimentalist,  and  he  punished  this 
miserable  treason,  as  far  as  he  could  reach  it,  as  it  deserved. 
It  is  true  that  Andre  was  a  man  of  talent,  well-bred  and 
courageous,  and  of  engaging  manners.  He  deserved  all 
the  sympathy  and  sorrow  which  he  excited  at  the  time,  but 
nothing  more.  He  was  not  only  technically  a  spy,  but  he 
had  sought  his  ends  by  bribery,  he  had  prostituted  a  flag 
of  truce,  and  he  was  to  be  richly  paid  for  his  work.  It  was 
all  hire  and  salary.  No  doubt  Andre  was  loyal  and  patriotic. 
Many  spies  have  been  the  same,  and  have  engaged  in  their 
dangerous  exploits  from  the  highest  motives.  Nathan 
Hale,  whom  the  British  hanged  without  compunction,  was 
as  well-born  and  well-bred  as  Andre,  and  as  patriotic  as  man 
could  be,  and  moreover  he  was  a  spy  and  nothing  more. 
Andre  was  a  trafficker  in  bribes  and  treachery,  and  however 
we  may  pity  his  fate,  his  name  has  no  proper  place  in  the 
great  temple  at  Westminster,  where  all  English-speaking 
people  bow  with  reverence,  and  only  a  most  perverted 
sentimentality  could  conceive  that  it  was  fitting  to  erect  a 
monument  to  his  memory  in  this  country. 

Washington  sent  Andre  to  the  gallows  because  it  was 
his  duty  to  do  so,  but  he  pitied  him  none  the  less,  and 
whatever  he  may  have  thought  of  the  means  Andre  employed 
to  effect  his  end,  he  made  no  comment  upon  him,  except 
to  say  that  "he  met  his  fate  with  that  fortitude  which  was 
to  be  expected  from  an  accomplished  man  and  a  gallant 
officer. "  As  to  Arnold  he  was  almost  equally  silent.  When 
obliged  to  refer  to  him  he  did  so  in  the  plainest  and  simplest 
way,  and  only  in  a  familiar  letter  to  Laurens  do  we  get  a 
glimpse  of  his  feelings.  He  wrote: 

"  I  am  mistaken  if  at  this  time  Arnold  is  undergoing 
the  torment  of  a  mental  hell.  He  wants  feeling.  From 
some  traits  of  his  character  which  have  lately  come  to  my 


94  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

knowledge,  he  seems  to  have  been  so  hackneyed  in  villainy, 
and  so  lost  to  all  sense  of  honor  and  shame,  that,  while  his 
faculties  will  enable  him  to  continue  his  sordid  pursuits, 
there  will  be  no  time  for  remorse. " 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  279. 

Intercedes  in  Vain  for  Major  Andre 

At  last  my  friend  returned.  "The  General  will  see 
you  presently,  Wynne,  but  it  is  a  useless  errand.  Give 
me  Andre's  letter."  With  this  he  left,  me  again,  and  I 
continued  my  impatient  walk.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
he  came  back.  "Come,"  said  he:  "I  have  done  my  best, 
but  I  have  failed  as  I  expected  to  fail.  Speak  your  mind 
freely;  he  likes  frankness."  I  went  after  him,  and  in  a 
moment  was  in  the  farther  room  and  alone  with  the  chief. 

A  huge  fire  of  logs  blazed  on  the  great  kitchen  hearth, 
and  at  a  table  covered  with  maps  and  papers,  neatly  set 
in  order,  the  General  sat  writing. 

He  looked  up,  and  with  quiet  courtesy  said,  "Take 
a  seat,  Captain  Wynne.  I  must  be  held  excused  for  a 
little. "  I  bowed  and  sat  down  while  he  continued  to  write. 

His  pen  moved  slowly,  and  he  paused  at  times,  and  then 
went  on  apparently  with  the  utmost  deliberation.  I  was 
favoraoiy  placed  to  watch  him  without  appearing  to  do  so, 
his  face  being  strongly  lighted  by  the  candles  in  front  of 
him.  He  was  dressed  with  his  usual  care,  in  a  buff  waist- 
coat and  a  blue-and-buff  uniform,  with  powdered  hair  drawn 
back  to  a  queue  and  carefully  tied  with  black  ribbon. 

The  face,  with  its  light-blue  eyes,  ruddy  cheeks,  and 
rather  heavy  nose  above  a  strong  jaw,  was  now  grave,  and,  I 
thought,  stern.  At  least  a  half-hour  went  by  before  he 
pushed  back  his  chair  and  looked  up.  ... 

"Captain  Wynne,"  he  said,  "I  have  refused  to  see 
several  gentlemen  in  regard  to  this  sad  business,  but  I  learn 
that  Mr.  Andre  was  your  friend,  and  I  have  not  forgotten 
your  aunt's  timely  aid  at  a  moment  when  it  was  sorely 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDRE  95 

Heeded.  For  these  reasons  and  at  the  earnest  request  of 
Captain  Hamilton  and  the  marquis,  I  am  willing  to  listen 
to  you.  May  I  ask  you  to  be  brief?"  He  spoke  slowly, 
as  if  weighing  his  words.  .  .  .  "What  can  I  do  for 
you?  As  to  this  unhappy  gentleman,  his  fate  is  out  of  my 
hands.  I  have  read  the  letter  which  Captain  Hamilton  gave 
me. "  As  he  spoke  he  took  it  from  the  table  and  deliberately 
read  it  again,  while  I  watched  him.  Then  he  laid  it  down 
and  looked  up.  I  saw  that  his  big,  patient  eyes  were  over- 
full as  he  spoke. 

<:  I  regret,  sir,  to  have  to  refuse  this  most  natural 
request;  I  have  told  Mr.  Hamilton  that  it  is  not  to  be 
thought  of.  Neither  shall  I  reply.  It  is  not  fitting  that 
I  should  do  so,  nor  is  it  necessary  or  even  proper  that  I 
assign  reasons  which  must  already  be  plain  to  every  man  of 
sense.  Is  that  all?" 

I  said,  "Your  Excellency,  may  I  ask  but  a  minute 
more?" 

"  I  am  at  your  disposal,  sir,  for  so  long.     What  is  it? " 

I  hesitated,  and,  I  suspect,  showed  plainly  in  my  face 
my  doubt  as  to  the  propriety  of  what  was  most  in  my  mind 
when  I  sought  this  interview.  He  instantly  guessed  that 
I  was  embarrassed,  and  said,  with  the  gentlest  manner 
and  a  slight  smile: 

"Ah,  Mr.  Wynne,  there  is  nothing  which  can  be  done 
to  save  your  friend,  nor  indeed  to  alter  his  fate;  but  if  you 
desire  to  say  more  do  not  hesitate.  You  have  suffered 
much  for  the  cause  which  is  dear  to  us  both.  Go  on,  sir. " 

Thus  encouraged,  I  said,  "  If  on  any  pretext  the  execu- 
tion can  be  delayed  a  week,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  a  friend 
to  enter  New  York  in  disguise,  and  to  bring  out  General 
Arnold.  I  have  been  his  aide,  I  know  all  his  habits,  and  I 
am  confident  that  we  shall  succeed  if  only  I  can  control 
near  New  York  a  detachment  of  tried  men.  I  have  thought 
over  my  plan,  and  am  willing  to  risk  my  life  upon  it. " 

"You  propose  a  gallant  venture,  sir,  but  it  would  be 


96  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

certain  to  fail;  the  service  would  lose  another  brave  man, 
and  I  should  seem  to  have  been  wanting  in  decision  for  no 
just  or  assignable  cause." 

I  was  profoundly  disappointed ;  and  in  the  grief  of  my 
failure  I  forgot  for  a  moment  the  august  presence  which 
imposed  on  all  men  the  respect  which  no  sovereign  could 
have  inspired. 

"My  God!  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  "and  this  traitor  must 
live  unpunished,  and  a  man  who  did  but  what  he  believed 
to  be  his  duty  must  suffer  a  death  of  shame!"  Then  half 
scared,  I  looked  up,  feeling  that  I  had  said  too  much.  He 
had  risen  before  I  spoke,  meaning,  no  doubt,  to  bring  my 
visit  to  an  end,  and  was  standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire, 
his  admirable  figure  giving  the  impression  of  greater  height 
than  was  really  his. 

When,  after  my  passionate  speech,  I  looked  up,  having 
of  course  also  risen,  his  face  wore  a  look  that  was  more 
solemn  than  any  face  of  man  I  have  ever  yet  seen  in  all 
my  length  of  years. 

"There  is  a  God,  Mr.  Wynne,  "  he  said,  "who  punishes 
the  traitor.  Let  us  leave  this  man  to  the  shame  which 
every  year  must  bring.  Your  scheme  I  cannot  consider. 
I  have  no  wish  to  conceal  from  you  or  from  any  gentleman 
what  it  has  cost  me  to  do  that  which,  as  God  lives,  I  believe 
to  be  right.  You,  sir,  have  done  your  duty  to  your  friend. 
And  now  may  I  ask  of  you  not  to  prolong  a  too  painful 
interview. " 

Hugh  Wynne;  Free  Quaker.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D..  LL.D..  p.  462. 

The  Execution 

The  hour  of  noon  had  been  appointed  for  Major  Andre's 
execution.  Andre  rose  from  his  bed  at  his  usual  hour, 
and  after  partaking  of  breakfast — which  was  supplied  him 
as  had  been  the  custom,  from  Washington's  own  table — he 
began  to  make  his  preparations  for  the  solemn  scene.  His 
servant,  Laune,  had  arrived  from  New  York  some  days 


*  -__ 


. 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDR&  97 

before  with  a  supply  of  clothing;  and  Andre  this  morning 
shaved  and  dressed  himself  with  more  than  his  usual  care. 
He  wore  the  rich  scarlet  uniform,  faced  with  green,  of  a 
British  officer;  though  without  the  customary  sash  and 
sword. 

Pemberton's  heart  was  ready  to  burst,  but  he  knew 
his  duty  to  his  friend  too  well  to  allow  his  sorrowful  feelings 
to  master  him  for  a  moment. 

"To  the  brave,  true  soul,  John,  all  that  men  can  do  is 
nothing.  The  heart  right,  and  the  conscience  clear,  as 
yours  are,  my  friend,  and  we  can  say  well-met  to  death, 
without  a  shudder."  .  .  . 

"  Are  you  ready,  Major? "  said  one  of  the  officers. 

"  I  am  ready,  "  replied  Andre  proudly. 

As  Andre  emerged  from  the  prison  into  the  free,  fresh 
air,  he  took  a  deep  breath,  and  gazed  up  into  the  beautiful 
blue  sky  above  him,  hazy  and  golden  with  the  glory  he  so 
much  loved  of  an  October  day.  He  walked  arm-in-arm 
between  the  two  officers,  Pemberton  walking  near  him. 
A  captain's  command  of  thirty  or  forty  men  marched  imme- 
diately around  them,  and  Andre  glanced  expressively  to 
Pemberton  when  he  saw  these,  for  he  thought  they  were 
the  firing  party,  and  that  his  last  request  had  been  granted. 

An  outer  guard  of  five  hundred  men  also  attended,  at 
the  head  of  which  rode  nearly  all  the  principal  officers  of 
the  army,  with  the  exception  of  Washington  and  his  staff, 
who  from  a  feeling  of  delicacy  remained  in-doors.  Large 
crowds  of  the  soldiery,  and  of  the  citizens  from  the  sur- 
rounding country,  also  were  present. 

As  Andre  passed  on,  he  retained  his  composure  in  a 
wonderful  degree — nodding  and  speaking  pleasantly  to 
those  officers  with  whom  he  was  acquainted;  especially  to 
those  who  had  constituted  the  court-martial. 

The  gallows  had  been  erected  on  the  summit  of  an 
eminence  that  commanded  a  wide  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  It  was  also  in  full  view  of  Washington's  head- 
quarters; but  the  doors  and  shutters  of  the  latter  were 


98  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

closed,  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen,  save  the  usual  sentinels 
pacing  in  front  of  the  house. 

As  the  mournful  procession  turned  from  the  high  road 
into  the  meadow,  Andre  first  saw  the  gallows.  He  suddenly 
recoiled,  and  paused  for  a  moment. 

"I  thought  you  meant  to  spare  me  this  indignity!" 
he  exclaimed,  almost  passionately. 

"We  have  simply  to  obey  our  orders,"  replied  one  of 
the  officers. 

Andre  moved  on.  "  I  must  drink  the  cup  to  the  dregs, 
it  seems,"  he  said  with  deep  emotion.  "But  it  will  soon 
be  over. "  The  pleasant  smile,  however,  had  vanished  from 
his  face.  It  was  evident  that  what  he  thought  a  needless 
indignity  cut  sharper  than  the  sentence  of  death  itself. 

The  gallows  was  simply  a  rude  but  lofty  gibbet,  with 
a  wagon  drawn  under  it.  Inside  the  wagon  was  a  roughly- 
made  coffin,  painted  black.  As  Andre  stood  near  the  wagon, 
awaiting  some  brief  preparations,  his  agony  seemed  almost 
more  than  he  could  bear;  his  throat  sinking  and  swelling 
as  though  convulsed,  while  he  rolled  a  pebble  to  and  fro 
under  one  of  his  feet.  Laune,  his  servant,  totally  overcome, 
burst  into  loud  weepings  and  lamentations.  This  seemed 
to  rouse  and  restore  his  master,  who  turned  to  him,  and 
uttered  some  cheering  and  comforting  words.  All  around 
there  were  solemn  faces,  and  many  were  even  in  tears. 

At  a  word  from  one  of  the  officers,  Andre  sprang 
lightly  but  with  evident  loathing  into  the  baggage-wagon, 
standing  upon  the  coffin.  Then  he  looked  around  him — 
upon  his  executioner,  with  his  blackened  face;  upon  the 
saddened  soldiery  and  the  mournful  crowd;  upon  the  glori- 
ous landscape,  resplendent  with  the  hues  of  autumn,  and 
melting  gradually  away  into  the  hazy  distance.  Then  the 
old,  proud  look  came  back  into  his  face — and  he  seemed  more 
like  a  hero,  mounted  in  the  car  of  triumph,  and  prepared 
to  receive  the  acclamations  of  his  followers,  than  a  man  about 
to  suffer  a  shameful  death. 


.       ARNOLD  AND  ANDR&  99 

The  executioner  approached  him,  but  he  waved  him 
away  with  a  grand  disdain,  and  tossing  his  hat  to  the  ground, 
removed  his  stock,  opened  his  shirt-collar,  and  taking  the 
noose,  adjusted  it  himself  properly  about  his  neck.  . 

The  order  of  execution  was  read  loudly  and  impressively 
by  Adjutant -general  Scammel.  .At  its  conclusion,  Colonel 
Scammel  informed  the  prisoner  that  he  might  speak,  if 
he  had  anything  to  say. 

Lifting  the  bandage  from  his  eyes,  and  gazing  around 
once  more,  as  if  that  last  look  of  earth  and  sun  and  sky  and 
human  faces  was  sweet  indeed,  Andre  said  in  a  proud,  clear 
voice : 

"  Bear  witness,  gentlemen,  that  I  die  in  the  service  of 
my  country,  as  becomes  a  British  officer  and  a  brave  man. " 

The  hangman  now  drew  near  with  a  piece  of  cord  to 
bind  his  arms;  but,  recoiling  from  its  snaky  touch,  Andre 
swept  his  hand  aside,  and  drawing  another  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket,-  allowed  his  elbows  to  be  loosely  fastened 
behind  his  back.  Then  he  said  in  a  firm  voice — "  I  am 
ready!" 

Almost  at  the  word,  the  wagon  was  rolled  swiftly  away, 
and,  with  a  terrible  jerk  and  shock,  the  noble  soul  of  John 
Andre  was  severed  from  the  beautiful  frame  with  which 
the  Creator  had  clothed  it. 

Pemberton,  Henry  Peterson   p.  376. 

No  Patriot  Would  Perform  the  Task 

Crowds  of  people  from  all  the  country  round — men, 
women,  and  children — came  to  see  him  die.  Most  of  them 
would  have  torn  Arnold  limb  from  limb,  but  they  were 
weeping  over  Andre.  Everything  he  did  charmed  them; 
the  touching  letter  he  wrote  to  Washington  asking  to  be  shot 
instead  of  hanged ;  the  outline  of  his  beautiful  slender  figure 
as  he  stood  upon  the  gallows;  his  arranging  with  his  own 
hands  the  noose  around  his  neck  and  turning  down  his  collar. 
No  patriot  could  be  found  who  would  perform  the, task  of 


too  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


executioner.  They  had  to  procure  one  of  the  half-way  loyalist 
breed,  who  blackened  his  face  and  disguised  himself,  so  that 
he  could  never  again  be  recognized. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  page  403. 

An  English  Poetess  Prophesies  against  Washington 

Remorseless  Washington!  the  day  shall  come 

Of  deep  repentance  for  this  barbarous  doom ; 

When  injured  Andre's  memory  shall  inspire 

A  kindling  army  with  resistless  fire, 

Each  falchion  sharper  than  the  Britons  wield, 

And  yield  their  fiercest  lion  to  the  field. 

Then,  when  each  hope  of  thine  shall  set  in  night, 

When  dubious  dread  and  unavailing  flight 

Impel  your  host,  thy  guilt  upbraided  soul 

Shall  wish  untouched  the  sacred  life  you  stole. 

And  when  thy  heart  appalled  and  vanquished  pride 

Shall  vainly  ask  the  mercy  they  denied, 

With  horror  shalt  thou  meet  the  fate  thou  gave, 

Nor  pity  gild  the  darkness  of  thy  grave, 

For  infamy  with  livid  hand  shall  shed 

Eternal  mildew  on  thy  ruthless  head. 

General  Washington  and  Major  Andre,  Charles  J.  Biddle,  The  Historical  Magazine,  Vol. 
I,  No.  7,  July,  1857,  p.  202. 

An  English  Officer's  View  of  the  Case 

He  was  tried  by  a  board  of  general  officers  as  a  spy,  and 
condemned  to  be  hanged.  The  American  general  has  been 
censured  for  directing  this  ignominious  sentence  to  be 
carried  into  execution;  but  doubtless  Major  Andre  was  well 
aware  when  he  undertook  the  negotiation,  of  the  fate  that 
awaited  him  should  he  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  laws  of  war  award  to  spies  the  punishment  of  death. 
It  would,  therefore,  be  difficult  to  assign  a  reason  why 
Major  Andre  should  have  been  exempted  from  that  fate 


Copyright  by  The  Century  Co.        From  the  Original  by  Howard  Pyl9. 
ARNOLD    AND    HIS    WIFE    IN    ENGLAND 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDRE  101 

to  which  all  others  are  doomed  under  similar  circ\imstances, 
although  the  amiable  qualities  of  the  man  rendered  the 
individual  case  a  subject  of  peculiar  commiseration. 

Origin  and  Services  of  the  Coldstream  Guards,  Col.  MacKinnon,  Vol.  II.  p.  9. 

Benedict  Arnold's  Reward 

He  was  rewarded  with  a  gift  of  at  least  £6315  in  money, 
which  was  a  fortune  in  those  days.  His  wife  was  given  a 
pension  of  five  hundred  pounds  a  year,  and  each  of  his 
children  one  hundred  pounds  a  year.  He  had  also  a  com- 
mand in  the  British  army  with  perquisites  and  opportunities. 
Although  some  of  the  Whigs  avoided  his  company,  he  was 
well  received  by  the  Tory  aristocracy  and  the  king,  and  his 
family  married  into  the  peerage.  He  accomplished  a  large 
part  of  his  ambition.  Had  he  succeeded  in  surrendering  West 
Point  he  would  have  no  doubt  been  made  a  peer.  His  sons 
entered  the  British  army,  and  his  descendants  still  occupy 
positions  of  respectability  in  England,  devoting  themselves 
to  the  enlargement  of  the  British  dominion,  which  was  the 
only  cause  their  ancestor  had  at  heart. 

The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sydney  George  Fisher,  p.  401 


Charleston  (S.C.)  captured  by  the  British,  May  12,  1780 
British  victory  at  Camden  (S.  C.)  .  .  .  .August  16,  1780 
Arnold's  treachery  at  West  Point.  .  .  .September,  1780 

Execution  of  Andre October.,  1780 

American  victory  at  King's  Mountain,  October  7,  1780 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

HELPLESSLY  WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH 
"Would  to  God  They  Were  to  End  Here!" 

The  height  reached  by  the  troubles  in  the  army  and 
their  menacing  character,  had,  however,  a  good  as  well  as 
a  bad  side.  They  penetrated  the  indifference  and  careless- 
ness of  both  Congress  and  the  States.  Gentlemen  in  the 
confederate  and  local  administrations  and  legislatures 
woke  up  to  a  realizing  sense  that  the  dissolution  of  the  army 
meant  a  general  wreck,  in  which  their  own  necks  would  be 
in  very  considerable  danger;  and  they  also  had  an  uneasy 
feeling  that  starving  and  mutinous  soldiers  were  very 
uncertain  in  taking  revenge.  The  condition  of  the  army 
gave  a  sudden  and  piercing  reality  to  Washington's  indignant 
words  to  Mathews  on  October  4th : 

"  At  a  time  when  public  harmony  is  so  essential,  when 
we  should  aid  and  assist  each  other  with  all  our  abilities, 
when  our  hearts  should  be  open  to  information  and  our 
hands  ready  to  administer  relief,  to  find  distrusts  and 
jealousies  taking  possession  of  the  mind  and  a  party  spirit 
prevailing  affords  a  most  melancholy  reflection,  and  fore- 
bodes no  good. "  The  hoarse  murmur  of  impending  mutiny 
emphasized  strongly  the  words  written  on  the  same  day  to 
Duane:  "The  history  of  the  war  is  a  history  of  false  hopes 
and  temporary  expedients.  Would  to  God  they  were  to 
end  here!" 

The  events  in  the  South,  too,  had  a  sobering  effect. 
The  congressional  general  Gates  had  not  proved  a  success. 
His  defeat  at  Camden  had  been  terribly  complete,  and  his 
flight  had  been  too  rapid  to  inspire  confidence  in  his  capacity 
for  recuperation.  The  members  of  Congress  were  thus  led 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH          103 

to  believe  that  as  managers  of  military  matters  they  left 
much  to  be  desired ;  and  when  Washington,  on  October  nth, 
addressed  to  them  one  of  his  long  and  admirable  letters  on 
reorganization,  it  was  received  in  a  very  chastened  spirit. 
They  had  listened  to  many  such  letters  before,  and  had 
benefited  by  them  always  a  little,  but  danger  and  defeat 
gave  this  one  peculiar  point.  They  therefore  accepted  the 
situation,  and  adopted  all  the  suggestions  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief.  They  also  in  the  same  reasonable  frame 
of  mind  determined  that  Washington  should  select  the  next 
general  for  the  Southern  arm)''.  A  good  deal  could  have 
been  saved  had  this  decision  been  reached  before ;  but  even 
now  it  was  not  too  late.  October  i4th,  Washington 
appointed  Greene  to  this  post  of  difficulty  and  danger,  and 
Greene's  assumption  of  the  command  marks  the  turning- 
point  in  the  tide  of  disaster,  and  the  beginning  of  the  ulti- 
mate expulsion  of  the  British  from  the  only  portion  of  the 
colonies  where  they  had  made  a  tolerable  campaign. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  285. 

A  Combined  Movement  at  the  South 

The  failure  to  accomplish  anything  in  the  North  caused 
Washington,  as  the  year  drew  to  a  close,  to  turn  his  thoughts 
once  more  toward  a  combined  movement  at  the  South.  In 
pursuance  of  this  idea,  he  devised  a  scheme  of  uniting  with 
the  Spaniards  in  the  seizure  of  Florida,  and  of  advancing 
thence  through  Georgia  to  assail  the  English  in  the  rear. 
De  Rochambeau  did  not  approve  the  plan  and  it  was  aban- 
doned ;  but  the  idea  of  a  southern  movement  was  still  kept 
steadily  in  sight.  The  governing  thought  now  was,  not 
to  protect  this  place  or  that,  but  to  cast  aside  everything 
else  in  order  to  strike  one  great  blow  which  would  finish  the 
war.  Where  he  could  do  this,  time  alone  would  show, 
but  if  one  follows  the  correspondence  closely,  it  is  apparent 
that  Washington's  military  instinct  turned  more  and  more 
toward  the  South. 


io4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF-  WASHINGTON 

In  that  department  affairs  changed  their  aspect  rapidly. 
January  i  yth,  Morgan  won  his  brilliant  victory  at  Cowpens, 
withdrew  in  good  order  with  his  prisoners,  and  united 
his  army '  with  that  of  Greene.  Cornwallis  was  terribly 
disappointed  by  this  unexpected  reverse,  but  he  determined 
to  push  on,  defeat  the  combined  American  army,  and  then 
join  the  British  forces  on  the  Chesapeake.  Greene  was  too 
weak  to  risk  a  battle,  and  made  a  masterly  retreat  of  two 
hundred  miles  before  Cornwallis,  escaping  across  the  Dan 
only  twelve  hours  ahead  of  the  enemy.  The  moment  the 
British  moved  away,  Greene  recrossed  the  river  and  hung 
upon  their  rear.  For  a  month  he  kept  in  their  neighborhood, 
checking  the  rising  of  the  Tories,  and  declining  battle.  At 
last  he  received  reinforcements,  felt  strong  enough  to  stand 
his  ground,  and  on  March  1 5th  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court 
House  was  fought.  It  was  a  sharp  and  bloody  fight;  the 
British  had  the  advantage,  and  Greene  abandoned  the  field, 
bringing  off  his  army  in  good  order.  Cornwallis  on  his  part 
had  suffered  so  heavily,  however,  that  his  victory  was  turned 
to  ashes.  On  the  i8th  he  was  in  full  retreat,  with  Greene 
in  hot  chase,  and  it  was  not  until  the  28th  that  he  succeeded 
in  getting  over  the  Deep  River  and  escaping  to  Wilmington. 
Thence  he  determined  to  push  on  and  transfer  the  seat  of 
war  to  the  Chesapeake.  Greene,  with  the  boldness  and 
quickness  which  showed  him  to  be  a  soldier  of  a  high  order, 
now  dropped  the  pursuit  and  turned  back  to  fight  the  Brit- 
ish in  detachments  and  free  the  southern  States.  There 
is  no  need  to  follow  him  in  the  brilliant  operations  which 
ensued,  and  by  which  he  achieved  this  result.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  here  that  he  had  altered  the  whole  aspect  of  the  war, 
forced  Cornwallis  into  Virginia  within  reach  of  Washington, 
and  begun  the  work  of  redeeming  the  Carolinas. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  293. 

"Mad  Anthony"  and  the  Mutiny 

The  year  1781  opened  in  the  Continental  Army  with 
a  practical  temperance  lecture.  As  there  were  no  ladies 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH         105 

in  camp  to  be  called  upon  and  to  offer  wine,  the  soldiers 
visited  one  another,  and  the  Government  dealt  out  extra 
whiskey.  The  liquor  had  not  "aged";  indeed,  nothing  in 
this  new  country  had  a  chance  to  grow  old,  except  the 
soldiers'  clothes  and  grievances.  Under  the  excitement 
caused  by  too  much  stimulation,  too  little  food  and  clothing, 
and  a  great  deal  of  hair-splitting  trickery  on  the  part  of  their 
State,  a  portion  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  turned  out  under 
arms,  and,  commanded  only  by  their  non-commissioned 
officers,  started  from  near  New  York  to  march  to  Philadel- 
phia and  lay  their  grievances  before  Congress.  Wayne, 
their  rightful  commander,  reasoned  with  them,  but  they 
had  heard  something  of  the  sort  before.  Then,  without 
any  supporting  force  but  his  own  courage,  he  drew  his 
pistols;  this  demonstration  they  suppressed  with  fixed 
bayonets,  expressing  in  a  single  breath  their  entire  willing- 
ness to  kill  him  if  he  tried  to  prevent  them  from  carrying 
out  their  plan.  Wayne  ordered  out  such  Pennsylvanians 
as  had  not  yet  mutinied,  but  the  insurgents  coaxed  these 
also  to  join  the  procession,  and  there  was  seen,  for  the  first 
and  last  time  in  the  world,  several  thousand  soldiers  march- 
ing in  order  with  not  a  commissioned  officer  among  them, 
eve,ry  man  desperate  at  bad  treatment  experienced  but  not 
one  man  willing  to  go  over  to  the  enemy. 

Wayne  lives  in  history  as  the  hot-headed  hero  of  Stony 
Point,  but  his  greatest  claim  to  fame  was  his  admirable 
coolness  during  this  mutiny.  He  sent  mounted  officers 
ahead  to  inform  Congress  what  to  expect;  he  sent  others 
to  prepare  the  country  through  which  the  party  would 
march;  he  sent  a  well  appointed  provision  train  with  the 
insurgents,  so  there  should  be  no  excuse  for  foraging  and  rob- 
bery by  the  way;  he  informed  Washington  of  what  had 
happened,  and  then  he  accompanied  the  insurgents,  not 
as  commander,  and  hardly  knowing  whether  he  was  guest 
or  prisoner.  A  mere  soldier  could  not  have  done  as  Wayne 
did;  the  occasion  demanded  a  patriot,  so,  as  usual  when 
such  emergencies  were  felt,  the  patriot  was  there. 


io6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Washington,  too,  forgot  for  the  moment  that  he  was 
a  soldier,  and  remembered  that  he  was  an  American.  He 
deprecated  opposition,  and  begged  Wayne  "to  labor  with 
Congress  for  relief,  for  he  feared  an  attempt  to  reduce  them 
(the  insurgents),  by  force  "will  either  drive  them  to  the 
enemy  or  dissipate  them  in  such  a  manner  that  they  will 
never  be  recovered."  Then  the  commander-in-chief,  who 
tried  to  make  all  ill-winds  blow  good,  shrewdly  hurried 
messengers  off  to  New  England  to  tell  what  had  happened 
and  to  beg  for  money  and  supplies  for  the  men  who  had  not 
yet  mutinied,  and  he  succeeded  so  well  as  to  obtain  three 
months'  pay  for  the  New  England  troops. 

Meanwhile  the  insurgents  marched  on,  maintaining 
perfect  order;  their  commander-in-chief  was  a  sergeant- 
major  who  had  deserted  from  the  British,  but  he  gave  no 
indication  of  a  desire  to  return  to  his  old  allegiance,  yet, 
when  Lafayette,  General  St.  Clair  and  other  officers  visited 
the  camp  they  were  ordered  away.  This  had  the  effect  of 
keeping  President  Reed,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature, 
from  venturing  into  camp,  although  he,  with  a  congres- 
sional committee,  had  advanced  from  Philadelphia  to  meet 
them. 

The  patriot  cause  was  therefore  in  a  very  bad  way, 
and  the  most  serious  apprehensions  were  being  felt  on  both 
sides,  when  the  British  Commander, — bless  him! — came 
to  the  rescue,  as  he  and  his  predecessors  often  unconsciously 
did  at  just  the  critical  moment.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  sent 
two  messengers  to  the  insurgents  with  flattering  invitations. 
Not  being  an  American  he  did  not  know  any  better;  he 
supposed  all  private  soldiers,  like  his  own,  were  mercenaries. 
But  the  Pennsylvanians  felt  terribly  insulted  by  the  impli- 
cation that  because  they  were  mutineers  they  might  become 
traitors,  they  explained  their  position  by  handing  the 
messengers  over  to  Wayne,  who  afterward  had  them 
effectually  hanged  as  spies,  and  when  the  General  offered 
a  hundred  guineas  to  the  board  of  sergeants  for  surrendering 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH         107 

the  men,  the  money  was  declined  on  the  ground  that  "it 
was  not  for  the  sake  or  through  any  expectation  of  reward, 
but  for  love  of  our  country,  that  we  sent  the  spies  immedi- 
ately to  General  Wayne;  we  do  not  consider  ourselves 
entitled  to  any  other  reward,  and  do  jointly  agree  to  accept 
no  other." 

George  Washington,   John   Habberton,   p.    213. 

Discontent  in  the  Army  and  an  Appeal  for  Money 

General  Washington  who  had  been  extremely  chagrined 
at  the  issue  of  the  mutiny  in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  who 
was  now  assured  of  the  confidence  to  be  placed  in  the 
fidelity  of  the  eastern  troops,  who  were  composed  of  natives, 
determined,  by  strong  measures,  to  stop  farther  progress  of 
a  spirit  which  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  army,  and 
ordered  a  detachment  to  march  against  the  mutineers,  and 
to  bring  them  to  unconditional  submission.  General  Howe, 
who  commanded  this  detachment,  was  instructed  to  make 
no  terms  with  the  insurgents  while  in  a  state  of  resistance; 
and,  as  soon  as  they  should  surrender,  to  seize  a  few  of  the 
most  active  leaders,  and  to  execute  them  on  the  spot.  These 
orders  were  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  Jersey  mutineers 
returned  to  their  duty. 

In  the  hope  of  being  more  successful  with  the  revolters 
of  Jersey  than  he  had  been  with  those  of  Pennsylvania, 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  offered  them  the  same  terms  wriich  had 
been  proposed  to  the  mutineers  at  Princeton;  and  General 
Robertson,  at  the  head  of  three  thousand  men,  was  detached 
to  Staten  Island  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  crossing  over 
into  Jersey,  and  covering  any  movement  which  they  might 
make  towards  New  York.  The  emissary,  being  in  the 
American  interest,  delivered  his  papers  to  the  officer  com- 
manding at  the  first  station  to  which  he  came.  Other 
papers  were  dispersed  among  the  mutineers ;  but  the  mutiny 
was  crushed  too  suddenly  to  allow  time  for  the  operation 
of  these  propositions. 


ro8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  vigorous  measures  taken  in  this  instance  were 
happily  followed  by  such  an  attention  on  the  part  of  the 
States,  to  the  actual  situation  of  the  army,  as  checked  the 
progress  of  discontent.  Influenced  by  the  representations 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  they  raised  three  months'  pay 
in  specie,  which  they  forwarded  to  the  soldiers,  who  received 
it  with  joy,  considering  it  as  evidence  that  their  fellow 
citizens  were  not  entirely  unmindful  of  their  sufferings. 

Although  the  army  was  thus  reduced  to  such  extreme 
distress,  the  discontents  of  the  people  were  daily  multiplied 
by  the'  contributions  which  they  were  required  to  make, 
and  by  the  irritating  manner  in  which  those  contributions 
were  drawn  from  them.  Every  article  for  public  use  was 
obtained  by  impressment ;  and  the  taxes  were  either  unpaid, 
or  collected  by  coercive  means.  Strong  remonstrances 
were  made  against  this  system;  and  the  dissatisfaction 
which  pervaded  the  mass  of  the  community  was  scarcely 
less  dangerous  than  that  which  had  been  manifested  by  the 
army. 

To  the  judicious  patriots  throughout  America,  the 
necessity  of  giving  greater  powers  to  the  federal  government 
became  every  day  more  apparent ;  but  the  efforts  of  enlight- 
ened individuals  were  too  feeble  to  correct  that  fatal  dis- 
position of  power  which  had  been  made  by  enthusiasm 
uninstructed  by  experience. 

To  relieve  the  United  States  from  their  complicated 
embarrassments,  a  foreign  loan  seemed  an  expedient  of 
indispensable  necessity,  and  from  France  they  hoped  to 
obtain  it.  Congress  selected  Lieutenant  Colonel  Laurens, 
a  gentleman  whose  situation  in  the  family  of  the  commander- 
in-chief  had  enabled  him  to  take  a  comprehensive  view  of 
the  military  capacities  and  weakness  of  his  country,  for  this 
interesting  service;  and  instructed  him  also  to  urge  the 
'  advantage  of  maintaining  a  naval  superiority  in  the  Ameri- 
can seas.  Before  his  departure,  he  passed  some  days  at 
headquarters,  and  received  from  General  Washington  in 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH         109 

the  form  of  a  letter,  the  result  of  his  reflections  on  the 
existing  state  of  things. 

In  this  paper  he  detailed  the  pecuniary  embarrassments 
of  the  government,  and  represented,  with  great  earnestness, 
the  inability  of  the  nation  to  furnish  a  revenue  adequate 
to  the  support  of  the  war.  He  dwelt  on  the  discontents 
which  the  system  of  impressment  had  excited  among  the 
people,  and  expressed  his  fears  that  the  evils  felt  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  war,  might  weaken  the  sentiments  which 
began  it. 

From  this  state  of  things,  he  deduced  the  vital  impor- 
tance of  an  immediate  and  ample  supply  of  money,  which 
might  be  the  foundation  for  substantial  arrangements  of 
finance,  for  reviving  public  credit,  and  giving  vigor  to 
future  operations ;  as  well  as  of  a  decided  effort  of  the  allied 
arms  on  the  continent  to  effect  the  great  objects  of  the 
alliance,  in  the  ensuing  campaign. 

Next  to  a  supply  of  money,  he  considered  a  naval 
superiority  in  the  American  seas  as  an  object  of  the  deepest 
interest. 

To  the  United  States,  it  would  be  of  decisive  importance, 
and  France  also  might  derive  great  advantages  from  trans- 
ferring the  maritime  war  to  the  coast  of  her  ally. 

The  future  ability  of  the  United  States  to  repay  any 
loan  which  might  now  be  obtained  was  displayed;  and  he 
concluded  with  assurances  that  there  was  still  a  fund  of 
inclination  and  resource  in  the  country,  equal  to  great  and 
continued  exertions,  provided  the  means  were  afforded  of 
stopping  the  progress  of  disgust,  by  changing  the  present 
system,  and  adopting  another  more  consonant  with  the 
spirit  of  the  nation,  and  more  capable  of  infusing  activity 
and  energy  into  public  measures;  of  which  a  powerful  suc- 
cor in  money  must  be  the  basis.  "The  people  were  dis- 
contented, but  it  was  with  the  feeble  and  oppressive  mode 
of  conducting  the  war,  not  with  the  war  itself. " 

The  Life  of  George  Washington,  John  Marshall,  Vol.  I,  p.  424. 


no  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


"A  Difference  in  a  Moment  of  Passion" 

"An  unexpected  change  has  taken  place  in  my  situa- 
tion," writes  Hamilton  (Feb.  18,  1781).  "I  am  no  longer 
a  member  of  the  General's  family.  This  information  will 
surprise  you,  and  the  manner  of  the  change  will  surprise 
you  more.  Two  days  ago  the  General  and  I  passed  each 
other  on  the  stairs : — he  told  me  he  wanted  to  speak  to  me. 
I  answered  that  I  would  wait  on  him  immediately.  I 
went  below  and  delivered  Mr.  Tilghman  a  letter  to  be  sent 
to  the  commissary,  containing  an  order  of  a  pressing  "and 
interesting  nature. 

"  Returning  to  the  General,  I  was  stopped  on  the  way 
by  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  and  we  conversed  together 
about  a  minute  on  a  matter  of  business.  He  can  testify 
how  impatient  I  was  to  get  back,  and  that  I  left  him  in  a 
manner,  which,  but  for  our  intimacy,  would  have  been  more 
than  abrupt.  Instead  of  finding  the  General,  as  is  usual, 
in  his  room,  I  met  him  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  where, 
accosting  me  in  an  angry  tone,  "Colonel  Hamilton"  (said 
he),  "you  have  kept  me  waiting  at  the  head  of  the  stairs 
these  ten  minutes;  I  must  tell  you,  sir,  you  treat  me  with 
disrespect. "  I  replied  without  petulancy,  but  with  decision, 
"  I  am  not  conscious  of  it,  sir,  but  since  you  have  thought 
it  necessary  to  tell  me  so,  we  part."  "Very  well,  sir," 
(said  he)  "if  it  be  your  choice, "  or  something  to  this  effect, 
and  we  separated.  I  sincerely  believe  my  absence,  which 
gave  so  much  umbrage,  did  not  last  two  minutes. 

"  In  less  than  an  hour  after,  Tilghman  came  to  me  in 
the  General's  name,  assuring  me  of  his  great  confidence  in 
my  abilities,  integrity,  usefulness,  etc.,  and  of  his  desire, 
in  a  candid  conversation,  to  heal  a  difference  which  could 
not  have  happened  but  in  a  moment  of  passion. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  269. 

"It  Is  out  of  My  Power" 

The  winter  passed  quietly  away,  but  as  soon  as  the 
snow  was  off  the  ground  in  1781,  the  Indians  renewed  their 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH         m 

ravages.  Early  in  the  winter  Clark  went  to  Virginia  to 
try  to  get  an  army  for  an  expedition  against  Detroit.  He 
likewise  applied  to  Washington  for  assistance.  Washington 
fully  entered  into  his  plans,  and  saw  their  importance.  He 
would  gladly  have  rendered  him  every  aid.  But  he  could 
do  nothing,  because  of  the  importance  to  which  the  central 
authority,  the  Continental  Congress,  had  been  reduced  by 
the  selfishness  and  supine  indifference  of  the  various  states — 
Virginia  among  the  number.  He  wrote  Clark : 

"It  is  out  of  my  power  to  send  any  reinforcements  to 
the  westward.  If  the  States  would  fill  their  continental 
battalions  we  should  be  able  to  oppose  a  regular  and  per- 
manent force  to  the  enemy  in  every  quarter.  If  they  will 
not,  they  must  certainly  take  measures  to  defend  themselves 
by  their  militia,  however  expensive  and  ruinous  the  sys- 
tem." 

It  was  impossible  to  state  with  more  straightforward 
clearness  the  fact  that  Kentucky  owed  the  unprotected 
condition  in  which  she  was  left,  to  the  divided  or  States- 
right  system  of  government  that  then  existed;  and  that 
she  would  have  had  ample  protection — and  incidentally 
greater  liberty — had  the  central  authority  been  stronger. 

The  Winning  of  the  West,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Vol.  II,  p.  115. 

Disappointments  and  Cross  Purposes 

Washington  heard  frequently  from  Greene,  and  in 
reply  sent  sympathy  which  was  all  he  had  to  offer.  He 
strained  a  point,  however,  in  favor  of  the  South  when 
he  learned  that  Arnold  was  operating  in  southern  Virginia ; 
to  capture  this  rascal  he  sent  off  Lafayette,  with  twelve 
hundred  men,  to  co-operate  with  a  French  naval  force  that 
was  to  blockade  the  traitor  at  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth. 
Lafayette's  march,  which  was  unknown  to  any  one,  the 
beginning  of  the  end,  began  on  Washington's  birthday; 
believers  in  coincidences  should  stick  a  pin  here. 

A  fortnight  later  the  entire  French  fleet  left  Newport, 


ii2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  blockade  having  kindly  been  raised  by  Providence 
through  the  medium  of  a  storm,  and  sailed  for  the  Chesa- 
peake to  assist  in  the  capture  of  Arnold  and  his  large  army. 
Two  days  afterward  the  British  fleet  started  in  pursuit,  and 
the  French  were  overtaken  off  the  Virginia  capes.  A  severe 
fight  occurred;  each  fleet  used  up  the  other,  and  hurried 
off  to  make  repairs,  which  was  the  leading  industry  of  the 
two  navies  during  the  war. 

The  failure  of  the  French  fleet  seems  to  have  brought 
Washington  nearer  to  discouragement  than  any  other  event 
of  the  war  had  done;  he  wrote  Laurens,  the  new  minister 
at  Paris,  that  the  affair  was  to  be  regretted  because  a  suc- 
cessful blow  in  that  quarter  would  probably  have  given 
a  decisive  turn  to  southern  affairs,  and  saved  Virginia  much 
unnecessary  expense,  "because  the  world  is  disappointed 
at  not  seeing  Arnold  in  gibbets;  and,  above  all,  because 
we  stood  in  need  of  something  to  keep  us  afloat  until  the 
result  of  your  mission  was  known;  for  be  assured,  my  dear 
Laurens,  that  day  does  not  follow  night  more  certainly  than 
it  brings  with  it  some  additional  proof  of  the  impracticability 
of  carrying  on  the  war  without  the  aids  you  were  directed 
to  solicit.  .  , '.'  /  I  give  it  decisively  as  my  opinion  that, 
without  a  foreign  loan,  our  present  force,  which  is  but  the 
remnant  of  an  army,  cannot  be  kept  together  this  campaign, 
much  less  will  it  be  increased  and  in  readiness  for  another. 
.  ; ;  .  .  We  can  not  transport  provisions  from  the  States 
in  which  they  are  assessed,  to  the  army,  because  we  cannot 
pay  the  teamsters."  The  situation  was  about  that  of  the 
young  man  who  starved  to  death  because  he  had  not  a 
postage  stamp  to  carry  a  letter  asking  aid  of  his  father. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  220. 

A  Letter  Intended  to  be  Intercepted 

Meantime,  Washington  had  written  a  letter  to  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  then  in  Virginia,  which  he  caused  to 
be  intercepted.  In  the  letter  he  remarked  that  he  was 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH         n3 

pleased  with  the  probability  that  Earl  Cornwallis  would 
fortify  either  Portsmouth  or  Old  Point  Comfort,  for,  were 
he  to  fix  upon  Yorktown,  from  its  great  capabilities  of  de- 
fense, he  might  remain  there  snugly  and  unharmed,  until 
a  superior  British  fleet  would  relieve  him  with  strong  re- 
inforcements, or  embark  him  altogether. 

This  fated  letter  quieted  the  apprehensions  of  the 
British  commander-in-chief  as  to  the  danger  of  his  lieutenant, 
and  produced  those  delays  in  the  operations  of  Sir  Henry 
that  tended  materially  to  the  success  of  the  allies  and  the 
surrender  of  Yorktown. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.    232. 

"Your  Duty,  Young  Man,  Is  Not  to  Talk,  but  to  Obey !" 

Washington  wrote  other  similar  letters.  The  bearer 
of  one  of  these  was  a  young  Baptist  clergyman,  named 
Montagnie,  an  ardent  Whig,  who  was  directed  by  Washing- 
ton to  carry  a  despatch  to  Morristown.  He  directed  the 
messenger  to  cross  the  river  at  King's  Ferry,  proceed  by 
Haverstraw  to  the  Ramapo  clove,  and  through  the  pass  to 
Morristown.  Montagnie,  knowing  the  Ramapo  pass  to  be 
in  possession  of  the  cow-boys  and  other  friends  of  the  enemy, 
ventured  to  suggest  to  the  commander-in-chief  that  the 
upper  road  would  be  the  safest.  "  I  shall  be  taken, "  he 
said,  "  if  I  go  through  the  clove. "  "  Your  duty,  young  man, 
is  not  to  talk,  but  to  obey!"  replied  Washington,  sternly 
enforcing  his  words  by  a  vigorous  stamp  of  his  foot.  Mon- 
tagnie proceeded  as  directed,  and,  near  the  Ramapo  pass, 
was  caught.  A  few  days  afterward  he  was  sent  to  New 
York,  where  he  was  confined  in  the  Sugar-house,  one  of 
the  famous  provost  prisons  in  the  city.  The  day  after  his 
arrival,  the  contents  of  the  despatches  taken  from  him  were 
published  in  Rivington's  Gazette  with  great  parade,  for  they 
indicated  a  plan  of  an  attack  upon  the  city.  The  enemy 
was  alarmed  thereby,  and  active  preparations  were  put  in 


ii4  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

motion  for  receiving  the  besiegers.  Montagnie  now  per- 
ceived why  he  was  so  positively  instructed  to  go  through  the 
Ramapo  pass,  where  himself  and  despatches  were  quite 
sure  to  be  seized. 

Pictorial  Field-Book  of  the  Revolution,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  Vol.  I,  p.  781. 

Wondering  What  to  Do  and  How  to  Do  It 

While  Washington  was  wondering  what  to  do  and  how 
to  do  it,  his  uncertainty  was  ended  by  information  that  the 
Count  de  Grasse,  with  a  large  fleet  and  army,  was  to  leave 
the  West  Indies  early  in  August  and  make  for  Chesapeake 
Bay.  Then  the  commander's  long  suppressed  uncertainty 
ended;  he  informed  Lafayette  (but  scarcely  any  one  else) 
of  what  to  expect,  and  warned  him  not  to  let  Cornwallis 
get  into  the  Carolinas  again — a  warning  that  the  young 
Frenchman  heeded  with  a  degree  of  industry  and  skill  for 
which  American  historians  have  never  given  him  credit. 
Then  Washington,  after  making  preparations  that  put  the 
British  and  his  own  army  under  the  impression  that  New 
York  was  to  be  attacked  by  the  allied  armies,  moved  his 
own  and  the  French  troops  from  the  east  to  the  west  side 
of  the  Hudson  River,  frightened  the-  enemy  into  their  works 
on  the  Jersey  shore,  menaced  Staten  Island,  and  was  more 
than  half  way  to  Philadelphia  before  Clinton  realized  that 
he  had  been  out-generaled.  The  indignation  of  the  British 
commander  seems  to  have  temporarily  deprived  him  of  his 
sense  of  honor  and  decency,  for  he  allowed  Benedict  Arnold, 
whom  Cornwallis  would  not  have  near  him  in  Virginia,  to  go 
off  to  New  London  (Arnold's  native  city)  and  destroy  it. 

The  City  of  Brotherly  Love  received  Washington  with 
characteristic  hospitality,  but  greatly  wondered  what  he 
came  for.  The  only  man  whose  curiosity  was  satisfied  to 
any  extent  was  Robert  Morris,  for  Washington  borrowed 
twenty  thousand  dollars  of  him  to  cheer  the  pockets  of  the 
scant  two  thousand  men,  shabby,  uncomfortable,  and 


Marquis   Lafayette 


Count    Rochambeau 


Kosciuszko  Baron   Steuben 

FOUR   FOREIGN   CHAMPIONS   OF  LIBERTY 


WATCHING  THE  WAR  IN  THE  SOUTH  115 

penniless,  who  were  going  farther  south  than  they  had  ever 
been  before.  Three  days  after  Washington's  arrival,  the 
citizens  obtained  a  hint  by  the  appearance  of  the  little  army, 
which  was  so  skillfully  expanded  that  in  column  it  covered 
two  miles  of  roadway.  Fortunately  the  streets  were  dusty, 
so  the  rags  and  faded  uniforms  were  not  as  noticeable  as  they 
might  have  been.  On  the  following  day  Rochambeau's 
army  passed  through  in  gay  attire  and  with  plenty  of  martial 
music  such  as  the  natives  had  not  heard  since  the  British 
hurried  away. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  225. 

"A  Tempting  Proposal  to  a  Young  General  of  Twenty-four" 

The  fleet  of  the  Count  de  Grasse,  consisting  of  twenty- 
eight  sail  of  the  line,  and  a  due  proportion  of  frigates,  con- 
taining three  thousand  veteran  troops  under  the  Marquis 
de  St.  Simon,  anchored  in  the  Chesapeake  on  the  thirtieth 
of  August.  The  frigates  were,  immediately  employed  in 
conveying  the  troops  up  the  James  river,  where  they  were 
landed,  and  reinforced  the  army  of  Lafayette,  who  then 
commanded  in  Virginia.  An  instance  of  virtue  and  mag- 
nanimity that  occurred  at  this  period  of  our  narrative  adorns 
the  fame  and  memory  of  Lafayette. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  French  land  and  naval  forces 
in  our  waters,  their  commander  said  to  Lafayette : 

"Now,  marquis,  now  is  your  time;  a  wreath  of  never- 
fading  laurel  is  within  your  grasp !  Fame  bids  you  seize  it. 
With  the  veteran  regiments  of  St.  Simon,  and  your  own 
continentals,  you  have  five  thousand ;  to  these  add  a  thou- 
sand marines,  and  a  thousand  seamen,  to  be  landed  from  the 
fleet,  making  seven  thousand  good  soldiers,  which,  with 
your  militia,  give  you  an  aggregate  exceeding  ten  thousand 
men.  With  these,  storm  the  enemy's  works  while  they 
are  yet  in  an  unfinished  state,  and  before  the  arrival  of  the 
combined  armies  you  will  end  the  war,  and  acquire  an 
immortal  renown." 


n6  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"Believe  me,  my  dear  sir,"  said  the  good  Lafayette, 
during  his  visit  in  America,  "this  was  a  most  tempting 
proposal  to  a  young  general  of  twenty-four,  and  who  was  not 
unambitious  of  fame  by  honest  means;  but  insuperable 
reasons  forbade  me  from  listening  to  the  proposal  for  a  single 
moment.  Our  beloved  General  had  intrusted  to  me  a  com- 
mand far  above  my  deserts,  my  age,  or  experience  in  war. 
From  the  time  of  my  first  landing  in  America,  up  to  the 
campaign  of  1781,  I  had  enjoyed  the  attachment,  nay, 
parental  regard  of  the  matchless  chief.  Could  I  then  dare 
to  attempt  to  pluck  a  leaf  from  the  laurel,  that  was  soon  to 
bind  his  honored  brow — the  well-earned  reward  of  long 
years  of  toils,  anxieties,  and  battles?  And,  lastly,  could  I 
have  been  assured  of  success  in  my  attack,  from  the  known 
courage  and  discipline  of  the  foe,  that  success  must  have 
been  attended  by  a  vast  effusion  of  human  blood.  " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
P-  233- 

"Less  Painful  to  Me  if  They  Had  Burnt  My  House" 

The  troops  which  Cornwallis  intended  to  join  had  been 
sent  in  detachments  to  Virginia  during  the  winter  and  spring. 
The  first  body  had  arrived  early  in  January  under  the  com- 
mand of  Arnold,  and  a  general  marauding  and  ravaging 
took  place.  A  little  later  General  Phillips  arrived  with 
reinforcements  and  took  command.  On'  May  i3th,  General 
Phillips  died,  and  a  week  later  Cornwallis  appeared  at 
Petersburg,  assumed  control,  and  sent  Arnold  back  to  New 
York. 

Meantime  Washington,  though  relieved  by  Morgan's  and 
Greene's  admirable  work,  had  a  most  trying  and  unhappy 
winter  and  spring.  He  sent  every  man  he  could  spare, 
and  more  than  he  ought  to  have  spared,  to  Greene,  and 
he  stripped  himself  still  further  when  the  invasion  of  Vir- 
ginia began.  But  for  the  most  part  he  was  obliged,  from 
lack  of  any  naval  strength,  to  stand  helplessly  by  and  see 


more  British  troops  sent  to  the  South,  and  witness  the 
ravaging  of  his  native  State,  without  any  ability  to  prevent 
it.  To  these  grave  trials  was  added  a  small  one,  which 
stung  him  to  the  quick.  The  British  came  up  the  Potomac, 
and  Lund  Washington,  in  order  to  preserve  Mount  Vernon, 
gave  them  refreshments,  and  treated  them  in  a  conciliatory 
manner.  He  meant  well  but  acted  ill,  and  Washington 
wrote : 

"  It  would  have  been  a  less  painful  circumstance  to  me 
to  have  heard  that,  in  consequence  of  your  non-compliance 
with  their  request,  they  had  burnt  my  house  and  laid  the 
plantation  in  ruins.  You  ought  to  have  considered  yourself 
as  my  representative,  and  should  have  reflected  on  the  bad 
example  of  communicating  with  the  enemy,  and  making  a 
voluntary  offer  of  refreshments  to  them,  with  a  view  to 
prevent  a  conflagration." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  295. 

"If  You  Had  Looked  behind  You  at  the  Battle  of  Cowpens" 

In  a  personal  encounter  with  Colonel  William  Washing- 
ton, cousin  to  the  commander-in-chief ,  at  the  battle  of  Cow- 
pens,  Colonel  Tarleton  was  severely  wounded  in  the  hand. 
According  to  Mrs.  Ellet's  "Women  of  the  Revolution," 
this  wound  was  twice  made  the  point  of  severe  wit  by  two 
American  ladies,  who  were  daughters  of  Colonel  Montfort, 
of  Halifax,  North  Carolina.  Because  of  his  cruel  and  resent- 
ful disposition  he  was  most  heartily  despised  by  the  republi- 
cans. The  occasions  were  as  follows:  When  Cornwallis 
and  his  army  were  at  Halifax,  on  their  way  to  Virginia, 
Tarleton  was  at  the  house  of  an  American.  In  the  presence 
of  Mrs.  Willie  Jones  (one  of  these  sisters),  Tarleton  spoke  of 
Colonel  Washington  as  an  illiterate  fellow,  hardly  able  to 
write  his  name. 

"Ah,  Colonel,"  said  Mrs.  Jones,  "you  ought  to  know 
better,  for  you  bear  on  your  person  proof  that  he  knows  very 
well  how  to  make  his  mark!" 


n8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

At  another  time  Tarleton  was  speaking  sarcastically 
of  Colonel  Washington,  in  the  presence  of  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Ashe. 

"I  would  be  happy  to  see  Colonel  Washington,"  he 
said,  with  a  sneer.  Mrs.  Ashe  instantly  replied,  "  If  you  had 
looked  behind  you,  Colonel  Tarleton,  at  the  battle  of  Cow- 
pens,  you  would  have  enjoyed  that  pleasure.  " 

Stung  with  this  keen  wit,  Tarleton  placed  his  hand  on 
his  sword.  General  Leslie,  who  was  present,  remarked, 
"Say  what  you  please,  Mrs.  Ashe,  Colonel  Tarleton  knows 
better  than  to  insult  a  lady  in  my  presence.  " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  252- 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN 
"Gone  to  Catch  Cornwallis  in  His  Mouse-trap !" 

As  the  army  marched  through  the  streets  of  Philadel- 
phia, there  was  an  outburst  of  exulting  hope.  The  plan 
could  no  longer  be  concealed.  Congress  was  informed  of 
it,  and  a  fresh  light  shone  upon  the  people,  already  elated 
by  the  news  of  Greene's  career  of  triumph.  The  windows 
were  thronged  with  fair  ladies,  who  threw  sweet  flowers 
on  the  dusty  soldiers  as  they  passed,  while  the  welkin  rang 
with  shouts,  anticipating  the  great  deliverance  that  was 
soon  to  come.  The  column  of  soldiers,  in  the  loose  order 
adapted  to  its  swift  march,  was  nearly  two  miles  in  length. 
First  came  the  war-worn  Americans,  clad  in  rough  toggery, 
which  eloquently  told  the  story  of  the  meager  resources  of  a 
country  without  a  government.  Then  followed  the  gallant 
Frenchmen,  clothed  in  gorgeous  trappings,  such  as  could 
be  provided  by  a  government  which  at  that  time  took  three- 
fourths  of  the  earnings  of  its  people  in  unrighteous  taxation. 
There  was  some  parading  of  these  soldiers  before  the  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  but  time  was  precious.  Washington  in 
his  eagerness  galloping  on  to  Chester,  received  and  sent  back 
the  joyful  intelligence  that  Grasse  had  arrived  in  Chesapeake, 
and  then  the  glee  of  the  people  knew*  no  bounds.  Bands  of 
music  played  in  the  streets,  every  house  hoisted  its  Stars 
and  Stripes,  and  all  the  roadside  taverns  shouted  success 
to  the  bold  general.  "Long  live  Washington!"  was  the 
toast  of  the  day.  "  He  has  gone  to  catch  Cornwallis  in  his 
mouse- trap!" 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske.  Vol.  II,  p.  277. 

("9) 


120  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Visits  Mount  Vernon  after  Six  Years 

Pushing  on  after  the  joyful  news  of  the  arrival  of  de 
Grasse  had  been  received,  Washington  left  the  army  to  go 
by  water  from  the  Head  of  Elk,  and  hurried  to  Mount 
Vernon,  accompanied  by  de  Rochambeau.  It  was  six 
years  since  he  had  seen  his  home.  He  had  left  it  a  Virginia 
colonel,  full  of  forebodings  for  his  country,  with  a  vast  and 
unknown  problem  awaiting  solution  at  his  hands.  He  re- 
turned to  it  the  first  soldier  of  his  day,  after  six  years  of 
battle  and  trial,  of  victory  and  defeat,  on  the  eve  of  the  last 
and  crowning  triumph.  As  he  paused  on  the  well-beloved 
spot,  and  gazed  across  the  broad  and  beautiful  river  at  his 
feet,  thoughts  and  remembrances  must  have  come  thronging 
to  his  mind  which  it  is  given  to  few  men  to  know.  He 
lingered  there  two  days,  and  then  pressing  on,  was  in 
Williamsburg  on  the  i4th,  and  on  the  iyth  went  on  board 
the  Ville  de  Paris  to  congratulate  de  Grasse  on  his  victory, 
and  to  concert  measures  for  the  siege. 

The  meeting  was  most  agreeable.  All  had  gone  well, 
all  promised  well,  and  everything  was  smiling  and  harmo- 
nious. Yet  they  were  on  the  eve  of  the  greatest  peril  which 
occurred  in  the  campaign.  Washington  had  managed  to 
scrape  together  enough  transports ;  but  his  almost  unassisted 
labors  had  taken  time,  and  delay  followed.  Then  the  trans- 
ports were  slow,  winds  and  tides  were  uncertain,  and  there 
was  further  delay.  The  interval  permitted  de  Grasse  to 
hear  that  the  British  fleet  had  received  reinforcements, 
and  to  become  nervous  in  consequence.  He  wanted  to 
get  out  to  sea;  the  season  was  advancing,  and  he  was  anx- 
ious to  return  to  the  West  Indies ;  and  above  all  he  did  not 
wish  to  fight  in  the  bay.  He  therefore  proposed  firmly 
and  vigorously  to  leave  two  ships  in  the  river,  and  stand 
out  to  sea  with  his  fleet.  The  Yorktown  campaign  began 
to  look  as  if  it  had  reached  its  conclusion.  Once  again 
Washington  wrote  one  of  his  masterly  letters  of  expostu- 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  121 

lation  and  remonstrance,  and  once  more  he  prevailed,  aided 
by  the  reasoning  and  appeals  of  Lafayette,  who  carried  the 
message.  De  Grasse  consented  to  stay,  and  Washington, 
grateful  beyond  measure,  wrote  him  that  "  a  great  mind 
knows  how  to  make  personal  sacrifice  to  secure  an  im- 
portant general  good."  Under  the  circumstances,  and  in 
view  of  the  general'truth  of  this  complimentary  sentiment, 
one  cannot  help  rejoicing  that  de  Grasse  had  "a  great  mind." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.   I,  p.  306. 

Jolly  Knox  Laughed  Till  His  Fat  Sides  Shook 

The  general,  attended  by  a  numerous  suite  of  American 
and  French  officers,  repaired  to  Hampton,  and  thence  on 
board  the  Ville  de  Paris,  the  French  admiral's  ship,  lying 
at  anchor  in  the  chops  of  the  capes,  to  pay  their  respects  to 
the  Count  de  Grasse,  and  consult  with  him  as  to  their 
future  operations. 

On  the  American  chief's  reaching  the  quarter-deck,  the 
admiral  flew  to  embrace  him,  imprinting  the  French  salute 
upon  each  cheek.  Hugging  him  in  his  arms,  he  exclaimed, 
"My  dear  little  general!"  De  Grasse  was  of  lofty  stature; 
but  the  term  petit  or  small,  when  applied  to  the  majestic 
and  commanding  person  of  Washington  produced  an  effect 
upon  the  risible  faculties  of  all  present  not  to  be  described. 
The  Frenchmen,  governed  by  the  rigid  etiquette  of  the 
ancien  regime,  controlled  their  mirth  as  best  they  could; 
but  our  own  jolly  Knox,  heedless  of  all  rules,  laughed,  and 
that  aloud,  till  his  fat  sides  shook  again. 

Washington  returned  from  this  conference  by  no  means 
satisfied  with  its  result.  The  admiral  was  extremely  restless 
at  anchor  while  his  enemy's  fleet  kept  the  sea;  and  having 
orders  limiting  his  stay  in  the  American  waters  to  a  certain 
and  that  not  distant  day,  he  was  desirous  of  putting  to  sea 
to  block  up  the  enemy's  fleet  in  the  basin  of  New  York, 
rather  than  to  run  the  risk  of  being  himself  blockaded  in  the 
bay  of  the  Chesapeake. 


i22  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Washington  urged  de  Grasse  to  remain,  because  his 
departure,  he  said,  "by  affording  an  opening  for  the  succor 
of  New  York,  which  the  enemy  would  instantly  avail  them- 
selves of,  would  frustrate  our  brilliant  prospects;  and  the 
consequence  would  be,  not  only  the  disgrace  and  loss  of 
renouncing  an  enterprise,  upon  which  the  fairest  expectations 
of  the  allies  have  been  founded,  after  'the  most  expensive 
preparations,  but  perhaps  disbanding  the  whole  army  for 
want  of  provisions. " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Sonf  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 


P-  235. 


Not  to  His  Glass  but  to  His  Grave 

The  first  headquarters  of  Earl  Cornwallis  were  in  the 
house  of  -Mr.  Secretary  Nelson,  a  relative  of  the  governor, 
and  a  gentleman  attached  to  the  royal  cause.  It  was  a 
very  large  and  splendid  bnck  mansion,  and  .towering  above 
the  ramparts,  afforded  a  fine  mark  for  the  American  artillery, 
that  soon  riddled  it,  having  learned  from  a  deserter  that  it 
contained  the  British  headquarters.  His  lordship  remained 
in  the  house  until  his  steward  was  killed  by  a  cannon-ball 
while  carrying  a  tureen  of  soup  to  his  master's  table. 

The  British  general  then  removed  his  headquarters 
to  the  house  of  Governor  Nelson,  and  finally  to  apartments 
excavated  in  the  bank  on  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
town,  where  two  rooms  were  wainscoted  with  boards, 
and  lined  with  baize,  for  his  accommodation.  It  was  in 
that  cavernous  abode  that  the  earl  received  his  last  letter 
from  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  It  was  brought  by  the  honorable 
Colonel  Cochran,  who,  landing  from  an  English  cutter  on 
Cape  Charles,  procured  an  open  boat,  and  threading  his 
way,  under  cover  of  a  fog,  through  the  French  fleet,  arrived 
safely,  and  delivered  his  despatches.  They  contained 
orders  for  the  earl  to  hold  out  to  the  last  extremity,  assuring 
him  that  a  force  of  seven  thousand  men  would  be  immedi- 
ately embarked  for  his  relief. 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  123 

While  taking  wine  with  his  lordship  after  dinner,  the 
gallant  colonel  proposed  that  he  should  go  up  to  the  ram- 
parts and  take  a  look  at  the  Yankees,  and  upon  his  return 
give  Washington's  health  in  a  bumper.  He  was  dissuaded 
from  so  rash  a  proceeding  by  every  one  at  the  table,  the 
whole  of  the  works  being  at  that  time  in  so  ruinous  a  state 
that  shelter  could  be  had  nowhere.  The  colonel  however 
persisted,  and  gayly  observing  that  he  would  leave  his  glass 
as  his  representative  till  his  return,  which  would  be  quickly, 
away  he  went.  Poor  fellow,  he  did  return,  and  that  quickly, 
but  he  was  borne  in  the  arms  of  the  soldiers,  not  to  his 
glass,  but  to  his  grave. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 


p.  244. 


The  Battle  Wages 

On  the  1 4th  we  reached  Williamsburg.  The  army 
rapidly  came  in  by  divisions,  French  and  American.  Before 
the  25th  we  had  from  the  fleet  cannon  and  intrenching-tools, 
and  all  our  available  force  was  to  hand. 

I  can  make  clear  in  a  few  words  the  situation  of  the 
enemy.  The  peninsula  of  York  lies  between  the  James  and 
the  York  rivers.  On  the  south  bank  of  the  latter  sits  the 
little  town  of  York.  Seven  redoubts  surrounded  it.  The 
town  was  flanked  right  and  left  by  deep  ravines  and  creeks 
falling  into  the  York  river.  Intrenchments,  field-works,  and 
abatis,  with  felled  trees,  lay  to  landward. 

Gloucester  Point,  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  river, 
was  well  fortified,  and  before  it  lay  a  small  force  of  British 
war-ships,  the  channel  being  obstructed  lower  down  by 
sunken  vessels.  The  French  fleet  held  the  river  below  the 
town,  and  we  the  peninsula. 

On  tl>e  night  of  the  25th,  after  a  brief  visit  to  the  fleet, 
our  chief  lay  down  in  the  open  under  a  mulberry-tree  with 
one  of  its  roots  for  a  pillow,  and  slept  well,  as  was  audible 
enough  to  us  who  lay  at  a  distance. 


124  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

That  night  his  lordship  abandoned  his  outworks  and 
drew  within  the  town.  We  seized  these  lines  next  day, 
losing  Colonel  Scammel,  formerly  of  the  staff,  in  whose 
amusing  songs  and  gay  talk  our  chief  had  used  to  take  so 
much  pleasure.  On  the  28th  the  armies  marched  twelve 
miles  down  the  peninsula,  and  camped  two  miles  from  the 
town,  driving  in  the  pickets  and  some  parties  of  horse. 

By  October  i ,  the  weather  being  fine,  we  had  completed 
a  half-moon  of  intrenchments,  resting  at  each  wing  on  the 
river.  Two  advanced  redoubts  we  threw  up  and  were 
severely  cannonaded,  so  as  to  interrupt  the  men  at  work. 

His  Excellency,  somewhat  anxious,  came  out  of  his 
tent,  and  calling  Mr.  Tilghman  and  me,  who  were  writing, 
rode  forth,  followed  by  his  faithful  black  Billy,  whom  we 
used  to  credit  with  knowing  more  of  what  went  on  than  did 
we  of  the  staff.  Mr.  Evans,  a  chaplain,  was  fain  to  see  more 
of  the  war  than  concerned  him,  and  came  after  us.  As  we 
approached,  Billy,  riding  behind  me,  said  as  the  cannon-shot 
went  over  us : 

"Dem  redcoats  is  p'intin'  us  mighty  well." 

Then  a  shot  ricochetted,  .striking  the  ground  in  front 
and  covering  us  with  dust.  Mr.  Evans,  who  was  standing 
by,  and  had  now  seen  quite  enough  of  it,  said,  "We  shall 
all  be  killed, "  and  then  looked  ruefully  at  his  new  beaver, 
well  dusted  and  dirty. 

"  You  had  better  carry  that  home  to  your  wife  and  chil- 
dren,"  said  the  chief.  "  This  is  not  the  place  for  you,  sir. " 

Neither  was  it  much  to  my  own  liking,  and  I  was  not 
sorry  when  we  rode  back. 

On  the  night  of  the  gth  of  October  his  Excellency  put 
a  match  to  the  first  gun,  and  for  four  days  and  nights  a 
furious  cannonade  went  on  from  both  sides. 

Late  on  the  night  of  the  loth  ...  a  monstrous 
smoke  hung  over  the  town.  Now  and  then  a  gust  of  sea 
wind  tore  it  apart,  and  through  the  rifts  we  saw  the  silver 
cup  of  the  moon  and  the  host  of  stars.  We  lay  long  on  the 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  ,     125 

hillock.  I  suppose  the  hour  and  the  mighty  fates  involved 
made  us  serious  and  silent.  Far  away  seventy  cannon 
thundered  from  our  works,  and  the  enemy's  batteries  roared 
their  incessant  fury  of  reply. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  4go. 

"  Save  Me,  for  I  Have  Been  a  Good  Soldier  " 

At  a  given  signal  the  detachments  advanced  to  the 
assault.  As  the  Americans  were  mounting  the  redoubt, 
Lieutenant-colonel  Laurens,  aide-de-camp  to  the  commander- 
in-chief ,  appeared  suddenly  on  their  flank,  at  the  head  of  two 
companies.  Upon  Major  Fish  hailing  him  with,  "  Why, 
Laurens,  what  brought  you  here?"  the  hero  replied,  "I 
had  nothing  to  do  at  headquarters,  and  so  came  here  to  see 
what  you  all  were  about. "  Bravest  among  the  brave,  this 
Bayard  of  his  age  and  country  rushed  with  the  foremost 
into  the  works,  making  with  his  own  hand,  Major  Campbell, 
the  British  commandant,  a  prisoner-of-war.  The  cry  of 
the  Americans  as  they  mounted  to  the  assault  was,  "  Remem- 
ber New  London."  But  here,  as  at  Stony  Point,  notwith- 
standing the  provocation  to  retaliate  was  justified  by  the 
iuhuman  massacres  of  Paoli  and  Fort  Griswold,  mercy, 
aivine  mercy,  perched  triumphantly  on  our  country's 
colors. 

Washington,  during  the  whole  of  the  siege,  continued  to 
expose  himself  to  every  danger.  It  was  in  vain  his  officers 
remonstrated.  It  was  in  vain  that  Colonel  Cobb,  his 
aide-de-camp,  entreated  him  to  come  down  from  a  parapet, 
whence  he  was  reconnoitring  the  enemy's  works,  the  shot 
and  shells  flying  thickly  around,  and  an  officer  of  the  New 
England  line  killed  within  a  very  few  yards.  During  one 
of  his  visits  to  the  main  battery,  a  soldier  of  Colonel  Lamb's 
artillery  had  his  leg  shattered  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell. 
As  theyx  were  bearing  him  to  the  rear,  he  recognized  the 
chief,  and  cried  out,  "  God  bless  your  excellency,  save  me 
if  you  can,  for  I  have  been  a  good  soldier,  and  served  under 


I26  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

you  during  the  whole  war."  Sensibly  affected  by  the 
brave  fellow's  appeal,  the  general  immediately  ordered 
him  to  the  particular  care  of  Doctor  Craik.  It  was  too  late ; 
death  terminated  his  sufferings  after  an  amputation  was 
performed. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Park  Custis, 


p.  241- 


"The  Work  is  Done  and  Well  Done." 

On  the  nth  the  second  parallel  was  begun,  and  on  the 
1 4th  the  American  batteries  played  on  the  two  advanced 
redoubts  with  such  effect  that  the  breaches  were  pronounced 
practicable.  Washington  at  once  ordered  an  assault.  The 
smaller  redoubt  was  stormed  by  the  Americans  under 
Hamilton  and  taken  in  ten  minutes.  The  other,  larger  and 
more  strongly  garrisoned,  was  carried  by  the  French  with 
equal  gallantry,  after  a  half  an  hour's  fighting.  During  the 
assault  Washington  stood  in  an  embrasure  of  the  grand 
battery,  watching  the  advance  of  the  men.  He  was  always 
given  to  exposing  himself  recklessly  when  there  was  fighting 
to  be  done,  but  not  when  he  was  only  an  observer.  This 
night,  however,  he  was  much  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire. 
One  of  his  aides,  anxious  and  disturbed  for  his  safety,  told 
him  that  the  place  was  perilous.  "If  you  think  so,"  was 
the  quiet  answer,  "you  are  at  liberty  to  step  back."  The 
moment  was  too  exciting,  too  fraught  with  meaning,  to 
think  of  peril.  The  old  fighting  spirit  of  Braddock's  field 
was  unchained  for1  the  last  time.  He  would  have  liked  to 
head  the  American  assault,  sword  in  hand,  and  as  he  could 
not  do  that  he  stood  as  near  his  troops  as  he  could,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  bullets  whistling  in  the  air  about  him.  Who 
can  wonder  at  his  intense  excitement  at  that  moment? 
Others  saw  a  brilliant  storming  of  two  outworks,  but  to 
Washington  the  whole  Revolution,  and  all  the  labor  and 
thought  and  conflict  of  six  years  were  culminating  in  the 
smoke  and  din  on  those  redoubts,  while  out  of  the  dust  and 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  127 

heat  of  the  sharp  quick  fight  success  was  coming.  He  had 
waited  long,  and  worked  hard,  and  his  whole  soul  went  out 
as  he  watched  the  troops  cross  the  abatis  and  scale  the 
works.  He  could  have  no  thought  of  danger  then,  and  when 
all  was  over  he  turned  to  Knox  and  said,  "  The  work  is  done, 
and  well  done.  Bring  me  my  horse. " 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  307. 

The  Surrender  of  Cornwallis 

On  the  iyth  of  October,  the  Marquis  Cornwallis  having 
had  a  stomach  full  of  fighting,  and  having  failed  of  his 
schemes  to  get  away  across  the  York  River,  beat  a  parley, 
and  after  some  discussion  signed  the  articles  of  capitulation. 
The  soldiers  were  to  remain  prisoners  in  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land, the  officers  were  to  return  to  Europe  upon  parole. 
The  beaten  army  at  two  on  the  igth  came  down  the  road 
between  the  French  and  our  lines,  with  the  colors  in  their 
cases,  and  the  bands  playing  a  British  march;  for  it  is  of 
the  etiquette  of  such  occasions  that  the  captured  army  play 
none  but  their  own  tunes.  Some  wag  must  have  chosen  the 
air,  for  they  marched  by  to  the  good  old  English  music  of 
"The  World  Turned  Upside  Down";  such  must  have 
seemed  sadly  the  case  to  these  poor  devils. 

As  I  was  of  the  staff,  I  was  privileged  to  see  well  this 
wonderful  and  glorious  conclusion  of  a  mighty  strife.  Our 
chief  sat  straight  in  the  saddle,  with  a  face  no  man  could 
read,  for  in  it  was  neither  elation  nor  show  of  satisfaction, 
as  the  sullen  ranks  came  near. 

At  the  head  of  the  line  rode  General  O'Hara.  He 
paused  beside  our  chief  and  begged  his  Excellency  to  receive 
the  excuses  of  my  Lord  Cornwallis,  who  was  not  well  enough 
to  be  present,  which  no  one  believed  nor  thought  a  manly 
thing  to  do. 

His  Excellency  bowed,  tnisted  it  was  not  very  serious, 
but  would  not  receive  General  O'Hara's  sword.  With  quiet 
dignity  he  motioned  him  to  deliver  it  to  Major-general 


i28  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Lincoln,  who  now  had  these  grateful  amends  for  the  mis- 
fortune of  having  had  to  surrender  his  own  good  blade  at 
Charleston. 

After  this  the  long  array  of  chagrined  and  beaten  men 
went  by,  and,  returning  to  York,  were  put  under  guard. 

Hugh  Wynne:   Free  Quaker.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  510. 

The  Crowning  Glory  of  the  War 

At  length,  on  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth,  the  thun- 
dering ceased,  hour  after  hour  passed  away,  and  the  most 
attentive  ear  could  not  catch  another  sound.  What  had 
happened?  Can  Cornwallis  have  escaped?  To  suppose 
he  had  fallen  was  almost  too  much  to  hope  for.  And  now 
an  intense  anxiety  prevails:  every  eye  is  turned  toward 
the  great  southern  road,  and  "the  express!  the  express!" 
is  upon  every  lip.  Each  hamlet  and  homestead  pours  forth 
its  inmates.  Age  is  seen  leaning  on  his  staff;  women  with 
infants  at  the  breast;  children  with  wondering  eves,  and 
tiny  hands  outstretched— all,  all,  with  breathless  hopes  and 
fears,  await  the  courier's  coming.  Ay,  and  the  courier  rode 
with  a  red  spur  that  day ;  but  had  he  been  mounted  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  he  could  scarcely  have  kept  pace  with  the 
general  anxiety. 

At  length  there  is  a  cry — "He  comes!  he  comes!" 
and  emerging  from  a  cloud  of  dust,  a  horseman  is  seen  at 
headlong  speed.  He  plies  the  lash  and  spur;  covered  with 
foam,  with  throbbing  flank,  and  nostril  dilated  to  catch  the 
breeze,  the  generous  horse  devours  the  road,  while  ever 
and  anon  the  rider  waves  his  cap,  and  shouts  to  the  eager 
groups  that  crowd  his  way  "Cornwallis  is  taken!" 

And  now  arose  a  joyous  cry  that  made  the  very  welkin 
tremble.  The  Tories,  amazed  and  confounded,  slunk  away 
to  their  holes  and  hiding-places,  while  the  patriot  Whigs 
rushed  into  each  other's  arms,  and  wept  for  gladness. 
And  oh!  on  that  day  of  general  thanksgiving  and  praise, 
how  many  an  aspiration  ascended  to  the  Most  High,  implor- 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORK  TOWN  129 

ing  blessings  on  him  whom  all  time  will  consecrate  as  the 
FATHER  OF  HIS  COUNTRY.  That  event  was  indeed  the  crown- 
ing glory  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution .  hostilities  languished 
thereafter,  while  Independence  and  empire  dawned  upon  the 
destinies  of  America,  from  the  surrender  at  Yorktown. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  245. 

"  Posterity  Will  Huzza  for  Us  " 

After  Cornwallis's  surrender  at  Yorktown,  Washington 
said  to  his  army : 

"My  brave  fellows,  let  no  sense  of  satisfaction  for  the 
triumphs  you  have  gained  induce  you  to  insult  your  fallen 
enemy.  Let  no  shouting,  no  clamorous  huzzaing  increase 
their  mortification.  It  is  sufficient  for  us  that  we  witness 
their  humiliation.  Posterity  will  huzza  for  us." 

Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler,  p.  246. 

"  Then  They  Did  Look  at  Us,  but  Were  Not  Very  Well  Pleased  " 

After  a  fruitless  attempt  to  escape,  in  which  the  ele- 
ments, as  at  Long  Island,  were  on  the  side  of  America  and 
her  cause,  on  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  Cornwallis 
beat  a  parley.  Terms  were  arranged,  and,  on  the  nine- 
teenth, the  British  army  laid  down  its  arms. 

The  imposing  ceremony  took  place  at  two  o'clock. 
The  American  troops  were  drawn  up  on  the  right,  and  the 
French  on  the  left,  of  the  high  road  leading  to  Hampton. 
A  vast  crowd  of  persons  from  the  adjoining  country  attended 
to  witness  the  ceremony. 

The  captive  army,  in  perfect  order,  marched  in  stern 
and  solemn  silence  between  the  lines.  All  eyes  were  turned 
toward  the  head  of  the  advancing  column.  Cornwallis,  the 
renowned,  the  dreaded  Cornwallis,  was  the  object  that 
thousands  longed  to  behold.  He  did  not  appear,  but  sent 
his  sword  by  General  O'Hara,  with  an  apology  for  his  non- 
appearance  on  account  of  indisposition.  It  was  remarked 
that  the  British  soldiers  looked  only  toward  the  French  army 
on  the  left,  whose  appearance  was  assuredly  more  brilliant 


1 3o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

than  that  of  the  Americans,  though  the  latter  were  respect- 
able in  both  their  clothing  and  appointments,  while  their 
admirable  discipline  and  the  hardy  and  veteran  appearance 
of  both  officers  and  men  showed  they  were  no  "  carpet 
knights,"  but  soldiers  who  had  seen  service  and  were  inured 
to  war. 

Lafayette,  at  the  head  of  his  division,  observing  that 
the  captives  confined  their  admiration  exclusively  to  the 
French  army,  neglecting  his  darling  light-infantry,  the 
very  apple  of  his  eye  and  pride  of  his  heart,  determined  to 
bring  "  eyes  to  the  right. "  He  ordered  his  music  to  strike 
up  Yankee  Doodle:  "Then,"  said  the  good  general,  "they 
did  look  at  us,  my  dear  sir,  but  were  not  very  well  pleased. " 

When  ordered  to  ground  arms,  the  Hessian  was  con- 
tent. He  was  tired  of  the  war;  his  pipe  and  his  patience 
pretty  well  exhausted,  he  longed  to  bid  adieu  to  toilsome 
marches,  battles,  and  the  heat  of  the  climate  that  con- 
sumed him.  Not  so  the  British  soldier;  many  threw  their 
arms  to  the  ground  in  sullen  despair.  One  fine  veteran 
fellow  displayed  a  soldierly  feeling  that  excited  the  admira- 
tion of  all  around.  He  hugged  his  musket  to  his  bosom, 
gazed  tenderly  on  it,  pressed  it  to  his  lips,  then  threw  it  from 
him,  and  marched  away  dissolved  in  tears. 

On  the  day  of  the  surrender,  the  commander-in-chief 
rode  his  favorite  and  splendid  charger,  named  Nelson,'  a 
light  sorrel,  sixteen  hands  high,  with  white  face  and  legs, 
and  remarkable  as  being  the  first  nicked  horse  seen  in  Amer- 
ica. This  famous  charger  died  at  Mount  Vernon  many 
years  after  the  Revolution,  at  a  very  advanced  age.  After 
the  chief  had  ceased  to  mount  him,  he  was  never  ridden,  but 
grazed  in  a  paddock  in  summer,  and  was  well  cared  for  in 
winter ;  and  as  often  as  the  retired  farmer  of  Mount  Vernon 
would  be  making  a  tour  of  his  grounds,  he  would  halt  at  the 
paddock,  when  the  old  war-horse  would  run,  neighing,  to 
the  fence,  proud  to  be  caressed  by  the  great  master's  hands. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  347. 


THE  SURRENDER  OF  CORNWALLIS 

(This  fine  picture  is  not  true  to  the  facts,  for  Cornwallia  sent  General 

O'Hara  with  the  sword,  and  Washington  allowed 

General  Lincoln  to  receive  it.) 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  131 

The  Numbers  Involved 

The  number  of  prisoners  made  by  the  above  capitulation 
amounted  to  7,073,  of  whom  5,950  were  rank  and  file,  six 
commissioned,  and  twenty-eight  non-commissioned  officers, 
and  privates,  had  previously  been  captured  in  the  two 
redoubts,  or  in  the  sortie  of  the  garrison.  The  loss  sustained 
by  the  garrison  during  the  siege,  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing,  amounted  to  552.  That  of  the  combined  army  in 
killed  was  about  300.  The  combined  army  to  which  Corn- 
wallis  surrendered,  was  estimated  at  16,000,  of  whom  7,000 
were  French,  5,500  continentals,  and  3,500  militia. 

Holmes's  Annals,  Vol.  II,  p.  333. 

The  Manly,  Frank,  and  Soldierly  Bearing  of  Cornwallis 

The  day  after  the  surrender,  Earl  Cornwallis  repaired 
to  headquarters  to  pay  his  respects  to  General  Washington 
and  await  his  orders.  The  captive  chief  was  received  with 
all  the  courtesy  due  to  a  gallant  and  unfortunate  foe.  The 
elegant  manners,  together  with  the  manly,  frank,  and  sol- 
dierly bearing  of  Cornwallis  soon  made  him  a  prime  favorite 
at  headquarters,  and  he  often  formed  part  of  the  suite  of  the 
commander-in-chief  in  his  rides  to  inspect  the  leveling  of 
the  works  previous  to  the  retirement  of  the  combined  armies 
from  before  Yorktown. 

At  the  grand  dinner  given  at  the  headquarters  to  the 
officers  of  the  three  armies,  Washington  filled  his  glass,  and, 
after  his  invariable  toast,  whether  in  peace  or  war,  of  "All 
our  friends,"  gave  "The  British  Army,"  with  some  com- 
plimentary remarks  upon  its  chief,  his  proud  career  in  arms, 
and  his  gallant  defense  of  Yorktown.  When  it  came  to 
Cornwallis's  turn,  he  prefaced  his  toast  by  saying  that  the 
war  was  virtually  at  an  end,  and  the  contending  parties 
would  soon  embrace  as  friends;  there  might  be  affairs  of 
posts  but  nothing  on  a  more  enlarged  scale,  as  it  was  scarcely 
to  be  expected  that  the  ministry  would  send  another  army 


13  2  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

to  America.  Then  turning  to  Washington,  his  lordship 
continued:  "And  when  the  illustrious  part  that  your 
Excellency  has  borne  in  this  long  and  arduous  contest  becomes 
matter  of  history,  fame  will  gather  your  brightest  laurels 
rather  from  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  than  from  those  of 
the  Chesapeake."  In  this  his  lordship  alluded  to  the 
memorable  midnight  march  made  by  Washington  with  the 
shattered  remains  of  the  grand  army,  aided  by  the  Pennsyl- 
vania militia,  on  the  night  of  the  second  of  January,  1777, 
which  resulted  in  the  surprise  of  the  enemy  in  his  rear,  and 
the  victory  of  Princeton,  restoring  hope  to  the  American 
cause  when  it  was  almost  sinking  in  despair. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  249. 

Several  Samples  of  Washington's  Humor 

There  were  on  the  Mount  Vernon  plantation  three 
hundred  and  seventy  head  of  cattle,  and  Washington 
appends  to  the  report  a  sad  regret  that  with  all  this  number 
of  horned  beasts,  he  yet  has  to  buy  butter.  There  is  also 
a  fine,  grim  humor  shown  in  the  incident  of  a  flag  of  truce 
coming  in  at  New  York,  bearing  a  message  from  General 
Howe,  addressed  to  "Mr.  Washington."  The  General 
took  the  latter  from  the  hand  of  the  red-coat,  glanced  at  the 
superscription,  and.  said,  "Why,  this  letter  is  not  for  me! 
It  is  directed  to  a  planter  in  Virginia — I'll  keep  it  and  give 
it  to  him  at  the  end  of  the  war."  Then,  cramming  the 
letter  into  his  pocket,  he  ordered  the  flag  of  truce  out  of  the 
lines  and  directed  the  gunners  to  stand  by.  In  an  hour 
another  letter  came  back  addressed  to  "  His  Excellency, 
General  Washington."  [This  is  not  literally  true.  W.  W.] 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  a  soldier  brought  to 
Washington  a  dog  that  had  been  found  wearing  a  collar 
with  the  name  of  General  Howe  engraved  on  it.  Wash- 
ington returned  the  dog  by  a  special  messenger  with  a  note 
reading,  "General  Washington  sends  his  compliments  to 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN 


General  Howe,  and  begs  to  return  one  dog  that  evidently 
belongs  to  him."  In  this  instance  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  Washington  acted  in  sober  good  faith  but  was  the  vic- 
tim of  a  practical  joke  on  the  part  of  his  aides. 

Another  remark  that  sounds  like  a  joke,  but  perhaps 
was  not  one,  was  when,  on  taking  command  of  the  army 
at  Boston,  the  General  writes  to  his  life-long  friend,  Dr. 
Craik,  asking  what  he  can  do  for  him  and  adding  a  sentiment 
still  in  the  air: 

"  But  these  Massachusetts  people  suffer  nothing  to  go 
by  them  that  they  can  lay  their  hands  on." 

In  another  letter  he  pays  his  compliments  to  Connecti- 
cut thus; 

"  Their  impecunious  meanness  surpasses  belief.  " 

When  Gornwallis  surrendered  at  Yorktown,  Washington 
refused  to  humiliate  him  and  his  officers  by  accepting  their 
swords.  He  treated  Cornwallis  as  his  guest  and  'even  gave 
a  dinner  in  his  honor.  At  this  dinner  Rochambeau  being 
asked  for  a  toast  gave  "The  United  States."  Washington 
proposed  "The  King  of  France."  Cornwallis  merely  gave 
"The  King,"  and  Washington,  putting  the  toast,  expressed 
it  as  Cornwallis  intended,  "The  King  of  England,"  and 
added  a  sentiment  of  his  own  that  made  even  Cornwallis 
laugh  —  "may  he  stay  there!"  Washington's  treatment  of 
Cornwallis  made  him  a  life-long  friend. 

Little  Journeys  to  the  Homes  of  American  Statesmen,  Elbert  Hubbard,  p.  34. 

"  There  Are  Modes  of  Discharging  a  Soldier's  Duty  " 

Colonel  Tarleton,  alone  of  all  the  British  officers  of  rank, 
was  left  out  of  the  invitations  to  headquarters.  Gallant  and 
high-spirited,  the  colonel  applied  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette 
to  know  whether  the  neglect  might  not  have  been  accidental. 
Lafayette  well  knew  that  accident  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  matter,  but  referred  the  applicant  to  Lieutenant-colonel 
Laurens,  who,  as  aide-de-camp  to  the  commander-in-chief, 


134 


THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


must  of  course  be  able  to  give  the  requisite  explanation. 
Laurens  at  once  said: 

"  No,  Colonel  Tarleton,  no  accident  at  all ;  intentional, 
I  can  assure  you,  and  meant  as  a  reproof  for  certain  cruelties 
practised  by  the  troops  under  your  command  in  the  cam- 
paigns of  the  Carolinas. " 

"What,  sir,"  haughtily  rejoined  Tarleton,  "and  is  it 
for  severities  inseparable  from  war,  which  you  are  pleased 
to  term  cruelties,  that  I  am  to  be  disgraced  before  junior 
officers?  Is  it,  sir,  for  a  faithful  discharge  of  my  duty  to  my 
king  and  my  country,  that  I  am  thus  humiliated  in  the  eyes 
of  three  armies?" 

"Pardon  me,"  continued  Colonel  Laurens,  "there  are 
modes,  sir,  of  discharging  a  i^oldier's  duty  more  acceptable 
to  both  friends  and  foes. " 

Tarleton  stalked  gloomily  away  to  his  quarters,  which 
he  seldom  left  until  his  departure  from  Virginia. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  Geroge  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  251. 

"And  Cornwallis  Is  Taken!" 

The  accomplished  Lieutenant-colonel  Tilghman,  one  of 
Washington's  aids,  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  by  the  chief, 
with  despatches  to  the  Congress,  announcing  the  surrender* 
of  Cornwallis.  He  arrived  there  in  the  night,  and  soon  the 
watchmen  of  the  city  were  calling  the  hours,  with  the  suffix, 
"and  Cornwallis  is  taken!"  That  annunciation  ringing  out 
on  the  frosty  night-air,  aroused  thousands  from  their  slum- 
bers. Lights  were  soon  seen  moving  in  almost  every  house  ; 
and  presently  the  streets  were  thronged  with  men  and  women, 
all  eager  to  hear  the  details.  It  was  a  joyous  night  for 
Philadelphia.  The  old  state-house  bell  rang  out  its  jubilant 
notes  more  than  an  hour  before  dawn,  and  the  first  .blush 
of  morning  was  greeted  with  the  booming  of  cannon.  The 
Congress  assembled  at  an  early  hour,  when  Charles  Thomson 
read  Washington's  despatch,  and  then  they  resolved  to  go  in 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  135 

procession  at  two  o'clock  the  same  day,  to  a  temple  of  wor- 
ship, "  and  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  crowning 
the  allied  armies  of  the  United  States  and  France  with  suc- 
cess." 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  246. 

The   "Financier  of  the  Revolution  "  in  Prison  for  Debt 

"When,  a  few  months  later,"  she  [the  mother  of  Mr. 
Robert  E.  Gray,  of  Philadelphia]  was  one  night  roused  from 
her  sleep  by  the  old  watchman  crying  under  her  window, 
'Past  twelve  o'clock,  and  Lord  Cornwallis  is  taken!'  she 
knew,  and  all  our  people  knew,  that  Robert  Morris  had  had 
a  great  deal  to  do  in  bringing  about  that  surrender,  which 
virtually  ended  the  war.  He  had  been  the  right  hand  of 
Washington.  Yet,  while  Washington  was  President,  Robert 
Morris  was  confined  in  the  old  debtor's  prison  in  Philadel- 
phia." 

"What  a  shame!"  one  of  us  hotly  exclaimed.  "Why 
did  not  Congress  pay  his  debts,  and  liberate  one  to  whom 
the  nation  owed  so  great  a  debt?" 

"  Well,  that  was  not  thought  practicable.  His  liabili- 
ties were  immense,  and  the  precedent  would  have  been, 
perhaps,  a  little  dangerous.  He  was  a  rash  manager  of  his 
own  affairs.  He  bore  his  misfortunes  bravely,  they  said; 
but  I  think  he  used  to  look  very  sad  as  he  walked  up  and 
down  the  narrow  prison-yard.  Sometimes,  I  remember, 
he  seemed  to  be  listening,  in  a  pleased  sort  of  way,  to  old 
Billy  Wood,  the  play-actor,  who  was  also  in  difficulties. 
Wood  was  an  educated  man,  and  good  company." 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  23. 

"  It  Is  High  Time  for  Me  to  Die  " 

Lord  Fairfax  on  hearing  that  Washington  had  captured 
Lord  Cornwallis  and  all  his  army,  he  called  to  his  black 


136  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


waiter,  "Come,   Joe!  cany  me  to  bed,  for  it  is  high   time 
for  me  to  die!" 

Then  up  rose  Joe,  all  at  the  word, 

And  took  his  master's  arm, 
And  thus  to  bed  he  softly  led 

The  lord  of  Greenway  farm. 

There  oft  he  called  on  Britain's  name, 

And  oft  he  wept  full  sore, 
Then  sighed — "Thy  will,  oh  Lord,  be  done" — 

And  word  spake  never  more. 
The  Life  of  Washington,  Mason  L.  Weems,  p.  27. 

The  News  of  Yorktown  in  America  and  England 

Early  on  a  dark  morning  of  the  fourth  week  in  October, 
an  honest  old  German,  slowly  pacing  the  streets  of  Phila- 
delphia on  his  night  watch,  began  shouting,  "  Basht  dree 
o'glock,  und  Gornwallis  ish  dakendt!"  and  light  sleepers 
sprang  out  of  bed  and  threw  up  their  windows.  Washing- 
ton's courier  laid  the  dispatches  before  Congress  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  after  dinner  a  service  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving 
was  held  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  At  New  Haven  and 
Cambridge  the  students  sang  triumphal  hymns,  and  every 
village  green  in  the  country  was  ablaze  with  bonfires.  The 
Duke  de  Lauzun  sailed  for  France  in  a  swift  ship,  and  on  the 
27th  of  November  all  the  houses  in  Paris  were  illuminated 
and  the  aisles  of  Notre  Dame  resounded  with  the  Te  Deum. 
At  noon  of  November  2nd,  the  news  was  brought  to  Lord 
George  Germaine,  at  his  house  in  Pall  Mall.  Getting  into  a 
cab,  he  drove  hastily  to  the  Lord  Chancellor's  house  in  Great 
Russell  Street,  Bloomsbury,  and  took  him  in ;  and  then  they 
drove  to  Lord  North's  office  in  Downing  Street.  At  the 
staggering  news,  all  the  prime  minister's  wonted  gayety 
forsook  him.  He  walked  wildly  up  and  down  the  room, 
throwing  his  arms  about  and  crying,  "  Oh  G6d!  it  is  all  over! 
it  is  all  over!  it  is  all  over!"  A  dispatch  was  sent  to  the 
king  at  Kew,  and  when  Lord  George  received  the  answer 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  137 

that  evening  at  dinner,  he  observed  that  his  Majesty  wrote 
calmly,  but  had  forgotten  to  date  his  letter, — a  thing  which 
had  never  happened  before. 

"The  tidings,"  says  Wraxall,  who  narrates  these 
incidents,  "  were  calculated  to  diffuse  a  gloom  over  the  most 
convivial  society,  and  opened  a  wide  field  for  political  specu- 
lation."  There  were  many  people  in  England,  however, 
who  looked  at  this  matter  differently  from  Lord  North. 
This  crushing  defeat  was  just  what  the  Duke  of  Richmond, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  fta'd  publicly  declared  he  hoped 
for.  Charles  Fox  always  took  especial  delight  in  reading 
about  the  defeats  of  invading  armies,  from  Marathon  and 
Salamis  downward;  and  over  the  news  of  Cornwallis's 
surrender  he  leaped  from  his  chair  and  clapped  his  hands. 
In  a  debate  in  Parliament,  four  months  before,  the  youthful 
William  Pitt  had  denounced  the  American  war  as  "most 
accursed,  wicked,  barbarous,  cruel,  unnatural,  unjust,  and 
diabolical,"  which  led  Burke  to  observe,  "He  is  not  a  chip 
of  the  old  block ;  he  is  the  old  block  itself ! ' ' 

The  fall  of  Lord  North's  ministry,  and  with  it  the  over- 
throw of  the  personal  government  of  George  III,  was  now 
close  at  hand.  For  a  long  time  the  government  had  been 
losing  favor.  In  the  summer  of  1780,  the  British  victories 
in  South  Carolina  had  done  something  to  strengthen  it; 
yet  when,  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  Parliament  was  dis- 
solved, although  the  king  complained  that  his  expenses  for 
purposes  of  corruption  had  been  twice  as  great  as  ever 
before,  the  new  Parliament  was  scarcely  more  favorable  to 
the  ministry  than  the  old  one.  Misfortunes  and  perplexities 
crowded  in  the  path  of  Lord  North  and  his  colleagues.  The 
example  of  American  resistance  told  upon  Ireland,  and  it 
was  in  the  full  tide  of  that  agitation  which  is  associated  with 
the  names  of  Flood  and  Grattan  that  the  news  of  Cornwallis's 
surrender  was  received.  ;  .."  ~.  ,;; 

After  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  no  one  but  the  king 
thought  of  pursuing  the  war. in  America  any  further.  Even 


i38  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

he  gave  up  all  hope  of  subduing  the  United  States  but  he 
insisted  upon  retaining  the  state  of  Georgia,  with  the  cities 
of  Charleston  and  New  York;  and  he  vowed  that,  rather 
than  acknowledge  the  independence  of  the  United  States, 
he  would  abdicate  the  throne  and  retire  to  Hanover.  Lord 
George  Germaine  was  dismissed  from  office,  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  was  superseded  by  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  the  king 
began  to  dream  of  a  new  campaign.  But  his  obstinacy  was 
of  no  avail.  During  the  winter  and  spring,  General  Wayne, 
acting  under  Greene's  orders,  drove  the  British  from  Georgia, 
while  at  home  the  country  squires  began  to  go  over  to  the 
opposition;  and  Lord  North,  utterly  discouraged  and  dis- 
gusted, refused  any  longer  to  pursue  a  policy  of  which  he 
disapproved.  The  baffled  and  beaten  king,  like  the  fox 
in  the  fable,  declared  that  the  Americans  were  a  wretched 
set  of  knaves,  and  he  was  glad  to  be  rid  of  them.  The 
House  of  Commons  began  to  talk  of  a  vote  of  censure  on  the 
administration.  A  motion  of  Conway's,  petitioning  the  king 
to  stop  the  war,  was  lost  by  only  a  single  vote ;  and  at  last, 
on  the  2oth  of  March,  1782,  Lord  North  bowed  to  the  storm 
and  resigned.  The  two  sections  of  the  Whig  party  coalesced. 
Lord  Rockingham  became  Prime  Minister,  and  with  him 
came  into  office  Shelburne,  Camden,  and  Grafton,  as  well 
as  Fox  and  Con  way,  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  and  Lord  John 
Cavendish, — staunch  friends  of  America,  all  of  them,  whose 
appointment  involved  the  recognition  of  the  independence 
of  the  United  States. 

Lord  North  observed  that  he  had  often  been  accused  of 
issuing  lying  bulletins,  but  he  had  never  told  so  big  a  lie 
as  that  with  which  the  new  ministry  announced  its  entrance 
into  power;  for  in  introducing  the  name  of  each  of  these 
gentlemen,  the  official  bulletin  used  the  words,  "  His  Majesty 
has  been  pleased  to  appoint ! "  It  was  indeed  a  day  of  bitter 
humiliation  for  George  III,  and  the  men  who  had  been  his 
tools.  But  it  was  a  day  of  happy  omen  for  the  English 
race  in  the  Old  World  as  well  as  in  the  New.  The 


THE  STORMING  OF  YORKTOWN  139 

decisive  battle  of  freedom  in  England  as  well  as  in  America, 
and  in  that  vast  colonial  world  for  which  Chatham  prophesied 
the  dominion  of  the  future,  had  now  been  fought  and  won. 
And  foremost  in  accomplishing  this  glorious  work  had  been 
the  lofty  genius  of  Washington,  and  the  steadfast  valor 
of  the  men  who  suffered  with  him  at  Valley  Forge,  and  whom 
he  led  to  victory  at  Yorktown. 

The  American  Revolution,  John  Fiske,  Vol.  II,  p.  285. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR 

Grief  in  the  Midst  of  Rejoicing 

A  domestic  affliction  threw  a  shade  over  Washington's 
happiness,  while  his  camp  still  rang  with  shouts  of  triumph 
for  the  surrender  of  Yorktown.  His  stepson  (to  whom  he 
had  been  a  parent  and  protector,  and  to  whom  he  was  fondly 
attached),  who  had  accompanied  him  to  the  camp  at  Cam- 
bridge, and.  was  among  the  first  of  his  aids  in  the  dawn  of 
the  Revolution,  sickened  while  on  duty  as  extra  aid  to  the 
commander-in-chief  in  the  trenches  before  Yorktown. 
Aware  that  his  disease  (the  camp  fever),  would  be  mortal, 
the  sufferer  had  yet  one  last  lingering  wish  to  be  gratified, 
and  he  would  die  content.  It  was  to  behold  the  surrender  of 
the  sword  of  Cornwallis.  He  was  supported  to  the  ground, 
and  witnessed  the  admired  spectacle,  and  was  then  removed 
to  Eltham,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  from  camp. 

An  express  from  Dr.  Craik  announced  that  there  was 
no  longer  hope,  when  Washington,  attended  by  a  single 
officer,  and  a  groom,  left  the  headquarters  at  midnight,  and 
rode  with  all  speed  for  Eltham. 

The  anxious  watchers  by  the  couch  of  the  dying  were, 
in  the  gray  of  the  twilight,  aroused  by  a  trampling  of  horse, 
and  looking  out,  discovered  the  commander-in-chief  alight- 
ing from  a  jaded  charger  in  the  courtyard.  He  immediately 
summoned  Dr.  Craik,  and  to  the  eager  inquiry,  "  Is  there 
any  hope  ? ' '  Craik  mournfully  shook  his  head.  The  General 
retired  to  a  room  to  indulge  his  grief,  requesting  to  be  left 
alone.  In  a  little  while  the  poor  sufferer  expired.  Wash- 
ington, tenderly  embracing  the  bereaved  wife  and  mother, 
observed  to  the  weeping  group  around  the  remains  of  him 

(140) 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR 


he  so  dearly  loved,  "  From  this  moment  I  adopt  his  two 
youngest  children  as  my  own."*  Absorbed  in  grief,  he 
then  waved  with  his  hand  a  melancholy  adieu,  and,  fresh 
horses  being  ready,  without  rest  or  refreshment,  he  re- 
mounted and  returned  to  camp.  ^-f 

*  These  were  Eleanor  Parke  Custis,  who  married  Lawrence  Lewis, 
the  favorite  nephew  of  General  Washington,  and  George  Washington 
Parke  Custis  —  the  latter,  the  author  of  these  Recollections. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  254- 

"  No  Part  of  the  Blame  Shall  Be  Mine  " 

From  Eltham,  Washington  proceeded  to  Mount  Vernon; 
but  public  cares  gave  him  little  leisure  to  attend  to  his 
private  concerns.  We  have  seen  how  repeatedly  his  steady 
mind  had  been  exercised  in  the  darkest  times  of  the  revolu- 
tionary struggle,  in  buoying  up  the  public  heart  when  sinking 
into  despondency.  He  had  now  an  opposite  task  to  perform. 
to  guard  against  an  overweening  confidence  inspired  by 
the  recent  triumph.  In  a  letter  to  General  Greene  he 
writes:  "I  shall  remain  but  a  few  days  here,  and  shall 
proceed  to  Philadelphia,  when  I  shall  attempt  to  stimulate 
Congress  to  the  best  improvement  of  our  late  success,  by 
taking  the  most  vigorous  and  effectual  measures  to  be 
ready  for  an  early  and  decisive  campaign  the  next  year. 
My  greatest  fear  is,  that  Congress,  viewing  this  stroke  in  too 
important  a  point  of  light,  may  think  our  work  too  nearly 
closed,  and  will  fall  into  a  state  of  languor  and  relaxation. 
To  prevent  this  error  I  shall  employ  every  means  in  my 
power,  and  if  unhappily  we  sink  into  that  fatal  mistake,  no 
part  of  the  blame  shall  be  mine." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  445. 

The  Mother  of  Washington  at  a  Ball  in  His  Honor 

Meantime  in  the  village  of  Fredericksburg,  all  was  joy 
and  revelry;  the  town  was  crowded  with  the  officers  of  the 
French  and  American  armies,  and  with  gentlemen  for  many 


1 42  THE  STORY- LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

miles  around,  who  hastened  to  welcome  the  conquerors  of 
Cornwallis.  The  citizens  got  up  a  splendid  ball,  to  which 
the  matron  was  specially  invited.  She  observed,  that  al- 
though her  dancing  days  were  pretty  well  over,  she  should 
feel  happy  in  contributing  to  the  general  festivity,  and  con- 
sented to  attend. 

The  foreign  officers  were  anxious  to  see  the  mother  of 
their  chief.  They  had  heard  indistinct  rumors  touching  her 
remarkable  life  and  character,  but  forming  their  judgments 
from  European  examples,  they  were  prepared  to  expect  in 
the  mother,  that  glitter  and  show  which  would  have  been 
attached  to  the  parents  of  the  great,  in  the  countries  of  the 
old  world.  How  were  they  surprised,  when  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  her  son,  she  entered  the  room  dressed  in  the  very 
plain,  yet  becoming  garb,  worn  by  the  Virginia  lady  of  the 
old  time.  Her  address,  always  dignified  and  imposing, 
was  courteous,  though  reserved.  She  received  the  compli- 
mentary attentions  which  were  paid  to  her  without  evincing 
the  slightest  elevation,  and  at  an  early  hour,  wishing  the 
company  much  enjoyment  of  their  pleasures,  observed,  that 
it  was  high  time  for  old  folks  to  be  in  bed,  and  retired,  lean- 
ing, as  before,  on  the  arm  of  her  son. 

The  foreign  officers  were  amazed  in  beholding  one  whom 
so  many  causes  conspired  to  elevate,  preserving  the  even 
tenor  of  her  life,  while  such  a  blaze  of  glory  shone  upon  her 
name  and  offspring.  It  was  a  moral  spectacle  such  as  the 
European  world  had  furnished  no  examples.  Names  of 
ancient  lore  were  heard  to  escape  from  their  lips ;  and  they 
declared,  "  if  such  are  the  matrons  in  America,  well  may  she 
boast  of  illustrious  sons." 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis. 
p.  142- 

"  At  the  President's  Feet,  Congress  and  All!  " 

On  Saturday  last  (November  3,  1781),  between  three 
and  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  arrived  here  twenty-four 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  143 

standards  of  colors  taken  with  the  British  army  under  the 
command  of  Earl  Cornwallis.  The  volunteer  cavalry  of 
this  city  received  these  trophies  of  victory  at  Schuylkill, 
from  whence  they  escorted  and  ushered  them  into  town 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  a  numerous  concourse  of  people. 
Continental  and  French  colors,  at  a  distance,  preceded  the 
British,  and  thus  they  were  paraded  down  Market  street 
to  the  state-house.  They  were  then  carried  into  Congress 
and  laid  at  their  feet. 

The  crowd  exulting  fills  with  shouts  the  sky, 
The  walls,  the  woods,  and  long  canals  reply: 
Base  Britons!     Tyrant  Britons — knock  under, 
Taken's  your  earl,  soldiers  and  plunder. 
Huzza!  what  colors  of  the  bloody  foe, 
Twenty-four  in  number,  at  the  state-house  door; 
Look:  they  are  British  standards,  how  they  fall 
At  the  President's  feet,  Congress  and  all! 

A  newspaper  account  ouoted  in  the  Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son 
George  Washington  Parke  Custis,  p.  25 5. 

Washington  Goes  to  Newburg 

It  was  now  evident  that  the  war  could  not  last  much 
longer,  but  it  was  still  necessary  to  be  prepared  and  vigilant, 
in  case  the  British  should  undertake  another  campaign; 
and  in  this  opinion  Congress  fully  agreed  with  Washington. 

Toward  the  close  of  1781,  Lafayette,  who  had  done 
such  good  service  in  the  late  campaign,  returned  on  a 
visit  to  France,  with  the  thanks  and  commendations  of 
Congress. 

In  April,  1782,  General  Washington  joined  the  army 
at  Newburg,  on  the  Hudson ;  and  in  May,  Sir  Guy  £arleton 
arrived  from  England  to  take  the  place  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
who  had  grown  weary  of  the  war,  and  desired  to  be  relieved. 
Sir  Guy  brought  assurances  of  a  desire  for  peace  on  the  part 
of  Great  Britain,  but  as  nothing  official  had  been  sent, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  prepare  for  more  fighting. 

Thf  Young  Folks'  Life  of  Washington,  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Hyde,  p.  183. 


144  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  Patch  up  an  Inglorious  Peace  " 

Nothing  was  ever  finished  with  Washington  until  it 
was  really  complete  throughout,  and  he  had  as  little  time 
for  rejoicing  as  he  had  for  despondency  or  despair,  while  a 
British  force  still  remained  in  the  country.  He  probably 
felt  that  this  was  as  untoward  a  time  as  he  had  ever  met  in 
a  pretty  large  experience  of  unsuitable  occasions,  for  offering 
sound  advice,  but  he  was  not  deterred  thereby  from  doing 
it.  This  time,  however,  he  was  destined  to  an  agreeable 
disappointment,  for  on  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia  he  found 
an  excellent  spirit  prevailing  in  Congress.  That  body  was 
acting  cheerfully  on  his  advice,  it  had  filled  the  depart- 
ments of  the  government,  and  set  on  foot  such  measures 
as  it  could  to  keep  up  the  army.  So  Washington  remained 
for  some  time  at  Philadelphia,  helping  and  counseling 
Congress  in  its  work,  and  writing  to  the  States  vigorous 
letters,  demanding  pay  and  clothing  for  the  soldiers,  ever 
uppermost  in  his  thoughts. 

But  although  Congress  was  compliant,  Washington 
could  not  convince  the  country  of  the  justice  of  his  views, 
and  of  the  continued  need  of  energetic  exertion.  The 
steady  relaxation  of  tone,  which  the  strain  of  a  long  and 
trying  war  had  produced,  was  accelerated  by  the  brilliant 
victory  of  Yorktown.  Washington,  for  his  own  part,  had 
but  little  trust  in  the  sense  or  knowledge  of  the  enemy. 
He  felt  that  Yorktown  was  decisive,  but  he  also  thought 
that  Great  Britain  would  still  struggle  on,  and  that  her 
talk  of  peace  was  very  probably  a  mere  blind,  to  enable 
her  to  gain  time,  and,  by  taking  advantage  of  our  relaxed 
and  feeble  condition,  to  strike  again  in  hope  of  winning 
back  all  that  had  been  lost.  He  therefore  continued  his 
appeals  in  behalf  of  the  army,  and  reiterated  everywhere 
the  necessity  for  fresh  and  ample  preparations. 

As  late  as  May  4th  he  wrote  sharply  to  the  States  for 
men  and  money,  saying  that  the  change  of  ministry  was 


145 


likely  to  be  adverse  to  peace,  and  that  we  were  being  lulled 
into  a  false  and  fatal  sense  of  security.  A  few  days  later, 
on  receiving  information  from  Sir  Guy  Carleton  of  the  ad- 
dress of  the  Commons  to  the  king  for  peace,  Washington 
wrote  to  Congress: 

"For  my  own  part,  I  view  our  situation  as  such  that, 
instead  of  relaxing,  we  ought  to  improve  the  present  moment 
as  the  most  favorable  to  our  wishes.  The  British  nation 
appear  to  me  to  be  staggered,  and  almost  ready  to  sink 
beneath  the  accumulating  weight  of  debt  and  misfortune. 
If  we  follow  the  blow  with  vigor  and  energy,  I  think  the 
game  is  our  own." 

Again  he  wrote  in  July :  "  Sir  Guy  Carleton  is  using  every 
art  to  soothe  and  lull  our  people  into  a  sense  of  security. 
Admiral  Digby  is  capturing  all  our  vessels,  and  suffocating 
as  fast  as  possible  in  prison-ships  all  our  seamen  who  will 
not  enlist  into  the  service  of  his  Britannic  Majesty;  and 
Haldimand,  with  his  savage  allies,  in  scalping  and  burning 
on  the  frontiers."  ...  .  A  month  later  he  wrote  to 
Greene:  "From  the  former  infatuation,  duplicity,  and 
perverse  system  of  British  policy,  I  confess  I  am  induced 
to  doubt  everything,  to  suspect  everything. " 
Yet  again,  a  month  later  still,  when  the  negotiations  were 
really  going  forward  in  Paris,  he  wrote  to  McHenry:  "If 
we  are  wise  let  us  prepare  for  the  worst.  There  is  nothing 
which  will  so  soon  produce  a  speedy  and  honorable  peace 
as  a  state  of  preparation  for  war;  we  must  either  do  this, 
or  lay  our  account  to  patch  up  an  inglorious  peace,  after 
all  the  toil,  blood,  and  treasure  we  have  spent." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  315. 

The  Asgill  Affair 

In  the  month  of  March,  1782,  one  Philip  White,  an 
infamous  Tory,  was  taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  light- 
horse;  after  laying  down  his  arms  in  token  of  surrender, 
he  took  up  his  musket  and  killed  one  of  his  captors.  He  was, 


I46  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

however,  secured,  while  being  taken  to  Freehold,  New  Jersey, 
was  put  to  death,  as  some  accounts  say,  in  an  effort  to  escape. 

About  the  same  time,  Capt.  Joshua  Huddy,  a  gallant 
and  honorable  officer  of  the  American  army,  while  in  com- 
mand of  a  block  house,  at  Tom's  river,  New  Jersey,  was 
attacked  by  a  party  of  refugees,  and  after  a  gallant  resistance, 
was  taken  prisoner  and  conveyed  to  New  York.  Shortly 
'  afterwards,  he,  with  two  others,  was  sent  by  the  Board  of 
Loyalists  to  Sandy  Hook,  to  be  exchanged,  under  the  care 
of  Capt.  Lippencut,  who,  on  his  return,  reported  that  "he 
had  exchanged  the  two  as  directed,  and  that  Huddy  had 
been  exchanged  for  Philip  White."  He  had,  in  fact,  hung 
him  [Huddy]  on  a  tree,  on  the  Jersey  shore. 

Gen.  Washington,  on  hearing  of  this  Tact,  demanded 
of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  delivery  of  Lippencut,  the  mur- 
derer of  Huddy,  but  though  Lippencut  was  tried  by  a  court 
martial  for  the  offense,  the  loyalists  interposed  for  his 
protection.  On  the  failure  of  compliance  with  his  demand, 
Gen.  Washington  determined,  with  the  advice  of  his  officers, 
on  retaliation,  and  accordingly  Capt.  Charles  Asgill,  who 
had  been  taken  prisoner  at  the  capitulation  of  Yorktown, 
was  selected,  by  lot,  to  atone  the  death  of  Huddy. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  who  was  known  for 
his  humanity,  superseded  Clinton,  as  commander  of  the 
British  army,  and  broke  up  the  Board  of  Associated  Loy- 
alists, thereby  preventing  a  repetition  of  similar  excesses. 
The  war  also  drawing  to  a  close,  the  motives  for  retaliation, 
in  a  great  measure,  ceased. 

Mrs.  Asgill  on  hearing  of  the  perilous  situation  of  her 
son,  wrote  to  M.  Vergennes,  the  French  minister,  a  touching 
letter,  describing  her  distress  and  that  of  her  family,  and 
begging  his  interference,  in  consequence  of  which,  Ver- 
gennes interposed  with  Washington  in  Asgill's  behalf. 
Copies  of  these  letters  were  forwarded  to  Congress,  and  in  the 
month  of  November  following,  they  resolved  that  the  eom- 
mander-in-chief  be  directed  to  set  Capt.  Asgill  at  liberty. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR 


Asgill,  who  had  received  every  indulgence,  and  who 
had  been  treated  with  all  possible  politeness,  was  accordingly 
released,  and  permitted  to  rejoin  his  friends  at  New  York. 
He  returned  to  England,  and  afterwards  became  General 
Sir  Charles  Asgill,  and  died  in  1823,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years. 

The  Conduct  of  General  Washington  Respecting  the  Confinement  of  Capt.  Asgill,  Preface, 


p. 


"  Let  Me  Conjure  You  to  Banish  These  Thoughts  from  Your 

Mind!" 

Underlying  all  these  general  discontents,  there  was, 
besides,  a  well-defined  movement,  which  saw  a  solution 
of  all  difficulties  and  a  redress  of  all  wrongs  in  a  radical 
change  of  the  form  of  the  government,  and  in  the  elevation 
of  Washington  to  supreme  power.  This  party  was  satisfied 
that  the  existing  system  was  a  failure,  and  that  it  was  not 
and  could  not  be  made  either  strong,  honest,  or  respectable. 
The  obvious  relief  was  in  some  kind  of  monarchy,  with  a 
large  infusion  of  the  one-man  power;  and  it  followed  as  a 
matter  of  course  that  the  one  man  could  be  no  other  than 
the  commander-in-chief.  In  May,  1782,-  when  the  feeling 
in  the  army  had  risen  very  high,  this  party  of  reform  brought 
their  ideas  before  Washington  through  an  old  and  respected 
friend  of  his,  Colonel  Nicola.  The  colonel  set  forth  very 
clearly  the  failure  and  shortcomings-  of  the  existing  govern- 
ment, argued  in  favor  of  the  substitution  of  something  much 
stronger,  and  wound  up  by  hinting  very  plainly  that  his 
correspondent  was  the  man  for  the  crisis  and  the  proper 
savior  of  society.  The  letter  was  forcible  and  well  written, 
and  Colonel  Nicola  was  a  man  of  character  and  standing. 
It  could  not  be  passed  over  lightly  or  in  silence,  and  Wash- 
ington replied  as  follows: 

"  With  a  mixttire  of  surprise  and  astonishment,  I  have 
read  with  attention  the  sentiments  you  have  submitted 
to  my  perusal.  Be  assured,  sir,  no  occurrence  in  the  course 


i48  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

of  the  war  has  given  me  more  painful  sensations  than  your 
information  of  there  being  such  ideas  existing  in  the  army 
as  you  have  expressed,  and  which  I  must  view  with  abhor- 
rence and  reprehend  with  severity.  For  the  present,  the 
communication  of  them  will  rest  in  my  own  bosom,  unless 
some  further  agitation  in  the  matter  shall  make  a  disclosure 
necessary.  I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  part  of 
my  conduct  could  have  given  encouragement  to  an  address 
which  seems  to  me  big  with  the  greatest  mischiefs  which  can 
befall  my  country.  If  I  am  not  deceived  in  the  knowledge  of 
myself,  you  could  not  have  found  a  person  to  whom  your 
schemes  are  more  disagreeable.  At  the  same  time,  in  justice 
to  my  own  feelings,  I  must  add  that  no  man  possesses  a  more 
sincere  wish  to  see  justice  done  to  the  army  than  I  do :  and 
as  far  as  my  power  and  influence  in  a  constitutional  way 
extend,  they  shall  be  employed  to  the  utmost  of  my  abilities 
to  effect  it,  should  there  be  any  occasion.  Let  me  con- 
jure you,  then,  if  you  have  any  regard  for  your  country, 
concern  for  yourself  or  posterity,  or  respect  for  me,  to 
banish  these  thoughts  from  your  mind,  and  never  com- 
municate, as  from  yourself  or  anyone  else,  a  sentiment 
of  the  like  nature. '.' 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  328. 

"  It  Is  High  Time  for  a  Peace  " 

Nothing  was  ever  again  heard  of  the  project  to  make 
of  Washington  "King  George  I,  of  America";  on  the  con- 
trary, the  Nicola  letter  made  Washington  more  anxious 
than  berore  to  have  peace  concluded  so  that  he  might  dis- 
band his  army.  While  keeping  his  men  in  fighting  trim, 
offering  a  threatening  front  to  the  enemy  at  New  York, 
and  even  coaxing  Rochambeau  and  the  French  from  Vir- 
ginia to  the  Highlands  so  as  to  frighten  Carleton,  Clinton's 
successor,  into  keeping  his  force  intact  instead  of  detaching 
some  to  fight  the  French  in  the  West  Indies,  he  was  sincerely 
longing  for  the  end.  And  y~t,  even  the  assurance  of  peace, 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  149 

when  it  came,  was  not  to  relieve  his  mind  of  forebodings  and 
fears.  The  poverty  of  the  country  was  beyond  expression ; 
persons  who  saw  some  portions  of  the  South  just  after  the 
late  civil  war  may  form  an  impression  of  it,  but  the  most 
afflicted  localities  in  the  South  were  not  in  as  helpless  con- 
dition as  were  all  the  colonies  at  the  close  of  the  war  period. 
So  poor  were  some  of  Washington's  officers  of  high  rank 
that  they  did  not  dare  invite  their  acquaintances  in  the 
French  army  to  their  tents,  for  they  could  not  offer  them 
as  good  a  dinner  as  every  private  soldier  in  the  United 
States  now  enjoys  daily.  In  the  autumn  of  1782,  writing 
of  the  reduction  of  the  army  that  had  been  proposed,  there 
being  then  little  doubt,  on  either  side,  of  the  speedy  conclu- 
sion of  a  treaty  of  peace,  Washington  said: 

"  I  cannot  help  fearing  the  result  of  the  measure  in 
contemplation,  under  present  circumstances,  when  I  see 
such  a  number  of  men,  goaded  by  a  thousand  stings  of 
reflection  on  the  past,  and  of  anticipation  in  the  future, 
about  to  be  turned  into  the  world,  soured  by  penury,  and 
what  they  call  the  ingratitude  of  the  public,  involved  in 
debts,  without  one  farthing  of  money  to  carry  them  home, 
after  spending  the  flower  of  their  days,  and  many  of  them 
their  patrimonies,  in  establishing  the  freedom  and  indepen- 
dence of  their  country,  and  suffered  everything  that  human 
nature  is  capable  of  enduring  on  this  side  of  death ; — I 
repeat  it,  that  when  I  consider  these  irritating  circum- 
stances, without  one  thing  to  soothe  their  feelings  or  dispel 
gloomy  prospects,  I  cannot  avoid  apprehending  that  a  train 
of  evils  will  follow,  of  a  very  serious  and  distressing  nature. 
I  wish  not  to  heighten  the  shades  of  the  picture 
so  far  as  the  reality  would  justify  me  in  doing  it.  I  could 
give  anecdotes  of  patriotism  and  distress,  which  have 
scarcely  ever  been  paralleled,  never  surpassed  in  the  history 
of  mankind.  But  you  may  rely  upon  it,  the  patience  and 
long-suffering  of  this  army  are  almost  exhausted,  and  that 
there  never  was  so  great  a  spirit  of  discontent  as  at  this 


iSo  THE  STORY- LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

instant.  While  in  the  field  I  think  it  may  be  kept  from 
breaking  out  into  acts  of  outrage;  but  when  we  retire  into 
winter  quarters,  unless  the  storm  is  previously  dissipated, 
I  cannot  be  at  ease  respecting  the  consequences.  It  is  high 
time  for  a  peace." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  238. 

"  A  Bitter  Pill  to  Royalty  " 

(Letter  to  Tench  Tilghman). 

"Newburg,  10  January,  1783 
"My  dear  Sir, — 

"  I  have  been  favored  with  your  letters  of  the  226.  &  24th 
of  last  month  from  Philadelphia;  and  thank  you  for  the 
trouble  you  have  had  with  my  small  commissions.  .  .  . 
I  have  sent  Mr.  Rittenhouse  the  glass  of  such  spectacles 
as  suit  my  eyes,  that  he  may  know  how  to  grind  his 
Christals. 

"Neither  Duportail  nor  Gouvion  are  arrived  at  this 
place.  .  .  .  To  the  latter,  I  am  referred  by  the  Marqs.  la 
Fayette  for  some  matters  which  he  did  not  chuse  to  commit 
to  writing. — The  sentim'nt  however  which  he  has  delivered 
(with  respect  to  the  negociations  for  Peace)  accord  precisely 
with  the  ideas  I  have  entertained  of  this  business  ever  since 
the  secession  of  Mr.  Fox,  viz — that  no  peace  would  be  con- 
cluded before  the  meeting  of  the  British  parliament. 
— And  that,  if  it  did  not  take  place  within  a  month 
afterwards,  we  might  lay  our  acc't  for  one  more  Campaign — 
at  least. 

"The  obstinacy  of  the  King,  and  his  unwillingness  to 
acknowledge  the  Independence  of  the  Country,  I  have  ever 
considered  as  the  greatest  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  Peace. 
Lord  Shelburne,  who  is  not  only  at  the  head  of  the  Admin- 
istration, but  has  been  introducing  others  of  similar  senti- 
ments to  his  own,  has  declared,  that  nothing  but  dire 
necessity  should  ever  force  the  measure.  Of  this  necessity, 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  1S1 

men  will  entertain  different  opinions.  Mr.  Fox,  it  seems, 
thought  the  period  had  arrived  some  time  ago ;  and  yet  the 
Peace  is  not  made— nor  will  it,  I  conceive,  if  the  influence 
of  the  Crown  can  draw  fresh  supplies  from  the  Nation,  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  War.  By  the  meeting  of 
Parliament,  Lord  Shelburne  would  have  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain two  things — first,  the  best  terms  on  which  G.  Britain 
could  obtain  the  Peace. — Secondly,  the  ground  on  which 
he  himself  stood. — If  he  found  it  slippery,  and  that  the  voice 
of  the  people  was  for  pacific  measures ;  he  would  then  have ' 
informed  the  Parliament  that,  after  many  months  spent  in 
negociation,— such  were  the  best  terms  he  could  obtain; — 
and  that  the  alternative  of  accepting  them, — or  preparing 
vigorously  for  the  prosecution  of  the  War,  was  submitted 
to  their  consideration  (being  an  extraordinary  case)  and 
decision.  A  little  time  therefore,  if  I  have  formed  a  just 
opinion  of  the  matter,  will  disclose  the  result  of  it.  Con- 
sequently we  shall  either  soon  have  Peace,  or  not  the  most 
agreeable  prospect  of  War,  before  us — as  it  appears  evident 
to  me,  that  the  States  generally,  are  sunk  into  the  most 
profound  lethargy,  while  some  of  them  are  running  quite 
retrograde. 

"  The  King  of  G.  B.  by  his  letters  Patent,  (which  I  have 
seen)  has  authorized  Mr.  Oswald  to  treat  with  any  Com- 
missioner or  Com'rs  from  the  United  States  of  America,  who 
shall  appear  with  proper  powers.  This,  certainly,  is  a 
capital  point  gained.  It  is  at  least  a  breaking  ground 
on  their  part,  and  I  dare  say  proved  a  bitter  pill  to  Royalty; 
that,  it  was  indispensably  necessary  to  answer  one  of  the 
points  above  mentioned,  as  the  American  Commissioners 
would  enter  in  no  business  with  Mr.  Oswald  till  his  Powers 
were  made  to  suit  their  purposes.  Upon  the  whole,  I  am 
fixed  in  an  opinion  that  Peace,  or  a  pretty  long  continuance 
of  the  War,  will  have  been  determined  before  the  adjourn- 
ment for  the  Hollidays ;  and  as  it  will  be  the  middle  or  last 
of  February  before  we  shall  know  the  result,  time  will  pass 


i52  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

heavily  on  in  this  dreary  mansion — where,  at  present  fast 
locked    in    frost    and    snow." 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  178. 

British  Jeers  at  the  Stars  and  Stripes 

"There  is  a  vessel  in  the  harbor  with  a  very  strange 
flag.  Thirteen  is  a  number  peculiar  to  the  rebels.  A  party 
of  naval  prisoners,  lately  returned  from  Jersey,  say  that  the 
rations  among  the  rebels  are  thirteen  dried  clams  a  day. 
The  titular  Lord  Stirling  takes  thirteen  glasses  of  grog 
every  morning,  has  thirteen  rum  bunches  on  his  nose,  and 
that  when  he  gets  drunk  makes  thirteen  attempts  before  he 
can  walk.  Sachem  Schuyler  has  a  top-knot  of  thirteen  stiff 
hairs  which  erect  themselves  on  the  crown  of  his  head  when 
he  gets  mad.  It  takes  thirteen  Congress  paper  dollars  to 
equal  one  shilling  sterling.  Polly  [Gen.  Anthony]  Wayne 
was  just  thirteen  hours  in  subduing  Stony  Point,  and 
thirteen  seconds  leaving  it.  Every  well-organized  rebel 
household  has  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  expect  to  be 
major-generals  or  members  of  the  high  and  mighty  Congress 
of  the  thirteen  United  States  when  they  attain  the  age  of 
thirteen  years.  Mr.  Washington  has  thirteen  teeth  in  each 
jaw,  and  thirteen  toes  on  each  foot,  the  extra  ones  having 
grown  since  that  wonderful  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  Mrs.  Washington  has  a  tomcat  with  thirteen  yellow 
rings  around  his  tail,  and  that  his  flaunting  it  suggested 
to  the  Congress  the  same  number  of  stripes  for  the 
rebel  flag." 

London  Chronicle,  February  7,  1783. 

"  The  Odious  Aroma  of  Impotent  Malice  " 

The  3oth  of  the  previous  November, — it  was  now 
March,  1783,— had  seen  the  signing  of  the  preliminaries  of 
peace  at  Paris,  after  long  and  difficult  negotiations  between 


<§ 


fe 

O 


O 


w 
o 
Pd 

w 

ffi 

u 
h 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR 


Oswald,  Grenville,  and  Strachey  on  behalf  of  the  British, 
and  Franklin,  Adams,  Jay,  and  Laurens  on  behalf  of  the 
other  side.  Perhaps  the  very  news  of  peace  excited  the 
suspicions  •  of  the  army  that  Congress  would  disband  them 
without  settling  its  accounts,  and  that  thus  their  sufferings 
would  never  be  requited. 

This  mutinous  spirit,  which  had  before  filled  the  Penn- 
sylvania and  Jersey  troops,  and  had  lately  caused  Congress 
to  flee  in  terror  from  Philadelphia  to  Princeton,  was,  not 
without  reason,  attributed  to  Gates,  "about  whom  hangs 
the  odious  aroma  of  impotent  malice";  the  ambiguous 
politician-commander  had  claimed  the  glory  of  Saratoga, 
had  been  forced  to  retire  after  his  crushing  defeat  by  Corn- 
wallis  at  Camden,  South  Carolina,  and,  now  reinforced, 
had  by  the  magnanimity  of  Washington  been  put  in  com- 
mand of  the  right  wing  of  the  American  army  at  the  New 
York  headquarters. 

Perhaps  the  return  of  the  French  troops,  in  October 
and  January,  aroused  that  longing  for  home,  "the  desire 
to  kiss  wives  and  sweethearts,"  —  which  all  along  had  made 
the  American  soldiers'  position  one  of  peculiar  hardship. 
Washington's  keen  appreciation  of  the  fortitude  of  his  men 
crops  out  in  a  letter  of  congratulation  to  General  Greene, 
on  the  happy  ending  of  the  Charleston  campaign  : 

"It  is  with  a  pleasure,  which  friendship  only  is  suscep- 
tible of,  that  I  congratulate  you  on  the  glorious  end  you 
have  put  to  the  hostilities  in  the  Southern  States.  The 
honor  and  advantages  of  it,  I  hope  and  trust  you  will  long 
live  to  enjoy.  .  .  If  historiographers  should  be  hardy 
enough  to  fill  the  page  of  History  with  the  advantages, 
that  have  been  gained  with  unequal  numbers  (on  the  part 
of  America),  in  the  course  of  this  contest,  and  attempt  to 
relate  the  distressing  circumstances  under  which  they  have 
been  obtained,  it  is  more  than  probable,  that  posterity 
will  bestow  on  their  labors  the  epithet  and  marks  of  fiction  ; 
for  it  will  not  be  believed,  that  such  a  force  as  Great  Britain 


i54  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

has  employed  for  eight  years  in  this  country  could  he 
baffled  in  their  plan  for  subjugating  it,  by  numbers  infinitely 
less,  composed  of  men  oftentimes  half  starved,  always  in 
rags,  without  pay,  and  experiencing  at  times  every  species 
of  distress,  which  human  nature  is  capable  of  undergoing. 
I  intended  to  have  wrote  you  a  long  letter  on  sundry  matters ; 
but  Major  Burnet  popped  in  unexpectedly  at  a  time,  when 
I  was  preparing  for  the  celebration  of  the  day,  and  was 
just  going  to  a  review  of  the  troops,  previous  to  the  feu 
de  joie." 

George  Washington,  Patriot,  Soldier,  Statesman,  James  A.  Harrison,  p.  366. 

Rode  Like  Black  Care  behind  Him 

Much  as  Washington  thought  about  holding  fast  the' 
western  country,  there  was  yet  one  idea  that  overruled  it 
as  well  as  all  others.  There  was  one  plan  which  he  knew 
would  be  a  quick  solution  of  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
for  which  inland  navigation  and  trade  connections  were  at 
best  but  palliatives.  He  had  learned  by  bitter  experience 
as  no  other  man  had  learned,  the  vital  need  and  value  of 
union.  He  felt  it  as  soon  as  he  took  command  of  the  army, 
and  it  rode  like  black  care  behind  him  from  Cambridge  to 
Yorktown.  He  had  hoped  something  from  the  confedera- 
tion, but  he  soon  saw  that  it  was  as  worthless  as  the  utter 
lack  of  system  which  it  replaced,  and  amounted  merely  to 
substituting  one  land  of  impotence  and  confusion  for 
another.  Others  .might  be  deceived  by  phrases  as  to 
nationality  and  a  general  government,  but  he  had  dwelt 
among  hard  facts,  and  he  knew  that  these  things  did  not 
exist.  He  knew  that  what  passed  for  them,  stood  in  their 
place  and  wore  their  semblance,  were  merely  temporary 
creations  born  of  the  common  danger,  and  doomed,  when 
the  pressure  of  war  was  gone,  to  fall  to  pieces  in  imbecility 
and  inertness.  To  the  lack  of  a  proper  union,  which  meant 
to  his  mind  national  and  energetic  government,  he  attributed 
the  failures  of  the  campaigns,  the  long  drawn  miseries,  and 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  155 

in  a  word  the  needless  prolongation  of  the  Revolution. 
He  saw,  too,  that  what  had  been  so  nearly  ruinous  in  war 
would  be  absolutely  so  in  peace,  and  before  the  treaty  was 
actually  signed  he  had  begun  to  call  attention  to  the  great 
question  on  the  right  settlement  of  which  the  future  of  the 
country  depended. 

To  Hamilton  he  wrote  on  March  4,  1783 : 

"  It  is  clearly  my  opinion,  unless  Congress  have  powers 
competent  to  all  general  purposes,  that  the  distresses  we 
have  encountered,  the  expense  we  have  incurred,  and  the 
blood  we  have  spilt,  will  avail  us  nothing. " 

Again  he  wrote  to  Hamilton,  a  few  weeks  later: 

"  My  wish  to  see  the  union  of  these  States  established 
upon  liberal  and  permanent  principles,  and  inclination  to 
contribute  my  mite  in  pointing  out  the  defects  of  the 
present  constitution,  are  equally  great.  All  my  private 
letters  have  teemed  with  these  sentiments,  and  whenever 
this  topic  has  been  the  subject  of  conversation,  I  have 
endeavored  to  diffuse  and  enforce  them." 

His  circular  letter  to  the  governors  of  the  States  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  which  was  as  eloquent  as  it  was  forcible, 
was  devoted  to  urging  the  necessity  of  a  better  central 
government.  "With  this  conviction,"  he  said,  "of  the 
importance  of  the  present  crisis,  silence  in  me  would  be  a 
crime.  I  will  therefore  speak  to  your  Excellency  the 
language  of  freedom  and  of  sincerity  without  disguise. 

.  There  are  four  things  which  I  humbly  conceive 
are  essential  to  the  well-being,  I  may  even  venture  to  say, 
to  the  existence  of  the  United  States,  as  an  independent 
power : 

"  First.  An  indissoluble  union  of  the  States  under  one 
federal  head. 

"  Second.     A  regard  to  public  justice. 

"Third.  The  adoption  of  a  proper  peace  establish- 
ment; and, 

"Fourth.    The  prevalence  of  that  pacific  and  friendly 


iS6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

disposition  among  the  people  of  the  United  States,  which 
will  induce  them  to  forget  their  local  prejudices  and  policies ; 
to  make  those  mutual  concessions  which  are  requisite  to 
the  general  prosperity;  and  in  some  instances  to  sacrifice 
their  individual  advantages  to  the  interest  of  the  com- 
munity."  The  same  appeal  went  forth  again  in  his  last 
address  to  the  army,  when  he  said:  "Although  the  General 
has  so  frequently  given  it  as  his  opinion,  in  the  most  public 
and  explicit  manner,  that  unless  the  principles  of  the 
federal  government  were  properly  supported,  and  the 
powers  of  the  Union  increased,  the  honor,  dignity,  and 
justice  of  the  nation  would  be  lost  forever;  yet  he  cannot 
help  repeating  on  this  occasion  so  interesting  a  sentiment, 
and  leaving  it  as  his  last  injunction  to  every  soldier,  who 
may  view  the  subject  in  the  same  serious  point  of  light, 
to  add  his  best  endeavors  to  those  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens toward  effecting  those  great  and  valuable  purposes 
on  which  our  very  existence  as  a  nation  so  materially 
depends." 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II.  p.  16. 

News  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace 

A  week  after  the  meeting  of  officers  in  Washington's 
camp,  the  intelligence  reached  America,  through  a  letter 
from  Lafayette  to  the  President  of  Congress,  that  the  treaty 
of  peace  had  been  signed  at  Paris  nearly  two  months  before. 
Washington  subsequently  received  the  same  information 
through  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  by  a  proclamation  of  Con- 
gress. His  first  act,  and  he  committed  it  the  day  after 
hearing  from  Congress,  was  to  ask  when  and  how  to  dis- 
charge his  men,  and  suggesting,  as  few  or  no  generals  before 
him  ever  had  enough  true  soldierly  feeling  to  do,  that  the 
private  soldiers  and  non-commissioned  officers  should  be 
allowed,  when  discharged,  to  retain  their  arm?  and  accoutre- 
ments. "This,"  he  said,  "would  be  deemed  an  honorable 
testimonial  from  Congress  of  the  regard  they  bear  to  these 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  157 

distinguished  worthies  and  the  sense  they  have  of  their 
suffering,  virtues,  and  services.  "  Truer  sympathy  and  better 
heart  seldom  were  combined  in  the  space  of  thirty  words. 
"These  constant  companions  of  their  toils,"  continued  the 
commander-in-chief,  "preserved  with  sacred  attention, 
would  be  handed  down  from  the  present  possessors  to  their 
children  as  honorary  badges  of  bravery  and  military  merit, 
and  would  probably  be  brought  forth  on  some  future  occa- 
sion, with  pride  and  exultation,  to  be  improved  with  the 
same  military  ardor  and  emulation  in  the  hands  of  posterity, 
as  they  have  been  used  by  their  forefathers  in  the  present 
establishment  and  foundation  of  our  national  independence 
and  glory."  This  sentence  will  not  meet  the  views  of  the 
rhetorician,  but  the  patriot  will  understand  it  distinctly, 
and  patriots,  not  rhetoricians,  are  the  men  who  make 
nations. 

One  day  after — and  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  the  first  fight  of  the  war — the  cessation  of 
hostilities  was  formally  proclaimed  in  every  camp,  with 
Washington's  orders  that  "the  chaplains  with  the  several 
brigades  will  render  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  all  His 
mercies."  Even  when  the  war  was  at  its  end,  Washington 
could  not  avoid  showing  a  point  of  difference  between 
himself  and  other  soldiers,  to  the  effect  that  in  the  vicissi- 
tudes incident  to  military  life  he  had  lost  none  of  his  religious 
feeling.  The  general  order  of  the  day  showed  that  he  had 
been  equally  successful  with  his  idea  of  the  dignity  of  man- 
hood, for  it  read:  "The  generous  task  for  which  we  first 
flew  to  arms  being  accomplished ;  the  liberties  of  our  country 
being  fully  acknowledged  and  firmly  secured,  and  the  charac- 
ters of  those  who  have  persevered  through  every  extremity 
of  hardship,  suffering  and  danger  being  immortalized  by 
the  illustrious  appellation  of  'the  patriot  army,'  nothing 
now  remains  but  for  the  actors  of  this  mighty  scene  to  pre- 
serve a  perfect,  unvarying  consistency  of  character  through 
the  verv  last  act,  to  close  the  drama  with  applause,  and  to 


i58  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

retire  from  the  military  theater  with  the  same  approbation 
of  angels  and  men  which  has  crowned  all  their  former  vir- 
tuous actions. " 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  349. 

The  Eighth  Anniversary 

Eight  years  from  the  first  shock  of  arms  at  Lexington, 
the  commander-in-chief  issued  the  proclamation  of  Congress 
ordering  cessation  of  hostilities.  The  news  was  received 
with  huzzas,  followed  by  prayer;  to  the  accompaniment 
of  the  band  the  army  sang  the  anthem  "Independence." 
For  the  evening  celebration  the  regiments  were  ordered  to 
bring  in  timbers  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  long  to  form  a 
frame  for  fireworks  over  the  New  Building.  Combustibles 
collected  on  the  summit  of  Beacon,  Cro'  Nest  and  Storm 
King,  for  the  purpose  of  heralding  the  approach  of  the  enemy, 
were  now  used  in  the  celebration  of  peace.  Amidst  this 
rejoicing  Washington  left  for  Ringwood,  N.  J.,  to  arrange 
with  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners, 
so  that  the  more  imposing  celebration  was  reserved  for  the 
city  of  New  York. 

George  Washington  Day  by  Day,  Elizabeth  Bryant  Johnston,  p.  58. 

Independence 

(Sung  in  celebration  of  the  close  of  the  War). 

The  States,  O  Lord,  with  songs  of  praise, 

Shall  in  thy  strength  rejoice, 

And  blessed  with  thy  salvation  raise 

To  Heaven  their  cheerful  voice ; 

And  all  the  Continent  shall  sing 

Down  with  this  earthly  king; 

No  King  but  God ! 

No  King  but  God ! 

George  Washington  Day  by  Day,  Elizabeth  Bryant  Johnston,  p.  58. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  159 


"An  Independent  People  Yet  to  Learn  Political  Tactics  " 

(Letter  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette}. 

"  HEAD-QUAS.,  NEWBURG,  5  April,  1783 
"  My  dear  Marqs:  ' 

"  We  stand,  now,  an  Independent  People,  and 
have  yet  to  learn  political  Tactics.  We  are  placed  among 
the  nations  of  the  Earth,  and  have  a  character  to  establish ; 
but  how  we  shall  acquit  ourselves,  time  must  discover. 
The  probability  (at  least  I  fear  it),  is  that  local  or  State 
politics  will  interfere  too  much  with  the  more  liberal  and 
extensive  form  of  government,  which  wisdom  and  foresight, 
freed  from  the  mist  of  prejudice,  would  dictate;  and  that 
we  shall  be  guilty  of  many  blunders  in  treading  this  bound- 
less theatre,  before  we  shall  have  arrived  at  any  perfection 
in  this  art;  in  a  word,  that  the  experience  which  is  pur- 
chased at  the  price  of  difficulties  and  distress,  will  alone 
convince  us  that  the  honor,  power  and  true  Interest  of  this 
Country  must  be  measured  by  a  Continental  scale,  and  that 
every  departure  therefrom  weakens  the  Union,  and  may 
ultimately  break  the  band  that  holds  us  together.  To 
avert  these  evils,  to  form  a  Constitution,  that  will  give 
consistency,  stability,  and  dignity  to  the  Union,  and  suffi- 
cient powers  to  the  great  Council  of  the  nation  for  general 
purposes,  is  a  duty  which  is  incumbent  on  every  man,  who 
wishes  well  to  his  country,  and  will  meet  with  my  aid  as 
far  as  it  can  be  rendered  in  the  private  walks  of  life; 
for  henceforward  my  mind  shall  be  unbent  and  I  will 
endeavor  to  glide  gently  down  the  stream  of  life  till  I 
come  to  that  abyss  from  whence  no  traveller  is  permitted 
to  return." 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  George  Washington.  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph  D.,  p.  243. 


160  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  For  Heaven's  Sake,  Who  Are  Congress  ?  " 

(From  a  letter  to  Dr.  William  Gordon.) 

"HEAD  QUARTERS,  NEWBURG, 

"8  July,  1783. 
"  Dear  Sir: 

.  .  "  It  now  rests  with  the  Confederated  Powers,  by 
the  line  of  conduct  they  mean  to  adopt,  to  make  this  Country 
great,  happy,  and  respectable ;  or  to  sink  it  into  littleness 
— worse  perhaps — into  Anarchy  and  confusion;  for  certain 
I  am,  that  unless  adequate  Powers  are  given  to  Congress 
for  the  general  purposes  of  the  Federal  Union,  that  we  shall 
soon  moulder  into  dust  and  become  contemptible  in  the  eyes 
of  Europe,  if  we  are  not  made  the  sport  of  their  Politicks.  . 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  who  are  Congress?  are  they 
not  the  creatures  of  the  People,  amenable  to  them  for  their 
conduct,  and  dependent  from  day  to  day  on  their  breath? 
Where  then  can  be  the  danger  of  giving  them  such  Powers 
as  are  adequate  to  the  great  ends  of  the  Government,  and 
to  all  the  general  purposes  of  the  Confederation  (I  repeat 
the  word  general,  because  I  am  no  advocate  for  their  having 
•to  do  with  the  particular  policy  of  any  State,  further  than 
it  concerns  the  Union  at  large)?  What  may  be  the  con- 
sequences if  they  have  not  these  Powers,  I  am  at  no  loss  to 
guess;  and  deprecate  the  worst;  for  sure  I  am,  we  shall, 
in  a  little  time  become  as  contemptible  in  the  great  scale 
of  Politicks,  as  we  now  have  it  in  our  power  to  be  respect- 
able. And  that,  when  the  band  of  Union  gets  once  broken, 
everything  ruinous  to  our  future  prospects  is  to  be  appre- 
hended. The  best  that  can  come  of  it,  in  my  humble 
opinion  is,  that  we  shall  sink  into  obscurity,  unless  our 
civil  broils  should  keep  us  in  remembrance  and  fill  the  page 
of  history  with  the  direful  consequences  of  them. 

You  say  that,  Congress  loose  time  by  pressing  a  mode 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  161 

that  does  not  accord  with  the  genius  of  the  People,  and  will 
thereby,  endanger  the  Union,  and  that  it  is  the  quantum 
they  want.  Permit  me  to  ask  if  the  quantum  has  not 
already  been  demanded?  Whether  it  has  obtained?  and 
whence  proceeds  the  accumulated  evils,  and  poignant 
distresses  of  many  of  the  Public  Creditors — particularly 
in  the  Army.  For  my  own  part  I  hesitate  not  a  moment  to 
confess,  that  I  see  nothing  wherein  the  Union  is  endangered 
by  the  late  requisition  of  that  body,  but  a  prospect  of  much 
good,  justice,  and  prosperity  from  the  compliance  with  it. 
I  know  of  no  tax  more  convenient,  none  so  agreeable,  as  that 
which  every  man  may  pay, — or  let  it  alone,  as  his  con- 
venience, abilities,  or  Inclination  shall  prompt.  I  am 
therefore  a  warm  friend  to  the  impost." 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  244. 

Washington  Takes  Leave  of  His  Officers 

In  April,  1783,  peace  was  proclaimed.  In  November  of 
that  year  I  heard  from  Colonel  Hamilton  that  our  beloved 
general  would,  on  December  4,  take  leave  of  his  officers, 
and  that  he  was  kind  enough  to  desire  that  all  of  his  old  staff 
who  wished  should  be  present.  I  was  most  pleased  to  go. 

In  New  York,  at  Fraunces'  Tavern,  near  Whitehall 
Ferry,  I  fotind  the  room  full  of  the  men  who  had  humbled 
the  pride  of  England  and  brought  our  great  war  to  a  close. 
His  Excellency  entered  at  noon,  and  seeing  about  him  these 
many  companions  in  arms,  was  for  a  little  so  agitated  that 
he  could  not  speak.  Then  with  a  solemn  and  kindly  expres- 
sion of  face,  such  as  I  had  once  before  seen  him  wear,  he 
filled  a  glass  with  wine,  and,  seeming  to  steady  himself, 
said: 

"With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude,  I  take  my 
leave  of  you,  most  devoutly  wishing  that  your  latter  days 
may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your  former  ones  have 
been  glorious  and  honorable." 


1 62  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

So  saying,  he  drank  his  wine,  and  one  after  another 
went  by  him  shaking  his  hand.  No  word  was  said,  and  these 
worn  veterans  of  the  winter  camps  and  the  summer  battle- 
fields moved  out,  and  saw  their  former  general  pass  down, 
between  lines  of  infantry,  to  the  shore.  There  he  got  into 
a  barge. 

As  he  was  rowed  away  he  stood  up  and  lifted  his  hat. 
All  of  us  uncovered,  and  remained  thus  till  he  passed  from 
sight,  to  be  seen  no  more  by  many  of  those  who  gazed  sadly 
after  his  retreating  form. 

There  is  an  old  book  my  grandchildren  love  to  hear 
me  read  to  them.  It  is  the  "Morte  d'Arthur, "  done  into 
English  by  Sir  Thomas  Malory.  Often  when  I  read  therein 
of  how  Arthur  the  king  bade  farewell  to  the  world  and  to 
the  last  of  the  great  company  of  his  Knights  of  the  Round 
Table,  this  scene  at  Whitehall  slip  comes  back  to  me,  and 
I  seem  to  see  once  more  those  gallant  soldiers,  and  far  away 
the  tall  figure  of  surely  the  knightliest  gentleman  our  days 
have  known. 

Hugh  Wynne:  Free  Quaker,  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  565. 

Kissing  His  Officers  While  Tears  Flowed  down  Their  Cheeks 

When  the  British  had  evacuated  New  York,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1783,  and  the  American  army  was  disbanded,  Washing- 
ton prepared  to  proceed  to  Annapolis  to  resign  his  com- 
mission. On  Thursday,  the  fourth  of  December,  the  prin- 
cipal officers  in  the  army  yet  remaining  in  the  service, 
assembled  at  Fraunces' ,  to  take  a  final  leave  of  their  beloved 
chief.  The  scene  is  described  as  one  of  great  tenderness. 
Washington  entered  the  room  where  they  were  all  waiting, 
and  taking  a  glass  of  wine  in  his  hand,  he  said, 

"With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude,  I  now  take 
leave  of  you.  I  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may 
be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your  former  ones  have 
been  glorious  and  honorable. " 


f<*z^.  *&**pS4. 


TWO  PAGES  FROM  WASHINGTON'S  PRIVATE  EXPENSE  BOOK 

Notice  that  he  began  to  reckon  in  dollars  and  cents  immediately  after 
independence  was  -declared. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  163 

Having  drank,  he  continued, 

"  I  can  not  come  to  each  of  you  to  take  my  leave, 
but  shall  be  obliged  to  you  if  each  will  come  and  take  me 
by  the  hand." 

Knox,  who  stood  nearest  to  him,  turned  and  grasped  his 
hand,  and,  while  the  tears  flowed  down  the  cheeks  of  each 
the  commander-in-chief  kissed  him.  This  he  did  to  each 
of  his  officers,  while  tears  and  sobs  stifled  utterance. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son.  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  420.     Note  by  Benson  J.  Lossing,  Editor. 

Rendering  His  Account 

On  his  way  to  Annapolis,  Washington  stopped  for  a 
few  days  at  Philadelphia,  where  with  his  usual  exactness 
in  matters  of  business,  he  adjusted  with  the  Comptroller  of 
the  Treasury  his  accounts  from  the  commencement  of 
the  war  down  to  the  i3th  of  the  actual  month  of  Decem- 
ber. These  were  all  in  his  own  handwriting,  and  kept  in 
the  cleanest  and  most  accurate  manner,  each  entry  being 
accompanied  by  a  statement  of  the  occasion  and  object  of 
the  charge. 

The  gross  amount  was  about  fourteen  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  sterling;  in  which  were  included  moneys 
expended  for  secret  intelligence  and  service,  and  in  various 
incidental  charges.  All  this,  it  must  be  noted,  was  an 
account  of  money  actually  expended  in  the  progress  of  the 
war;  not  for  arrearage  of  pay,  for  it  will  be  recollected 
Washington  accepted  no  pay.  Indeed  on  the  final  adjust- 
ment of  his  accounts,  he  found  himself  a  considerable 
loser,  having  frequently,  in  the  hurry  of  business,  neglected 
to  credit  himself  with  sums  drawn  from  his  private  purse 
in  moments  of  exigency. 

The  schedule  of  his  public  account  furnishes  not  the 
least  among  the  many  noble  and  impressive  lessons  taught 
by  his  character  and  example.  It  stands  a  touchstone  of 


1 64  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

honesty  in  office,  and  a  lasting  rebuke  on  that  lavish  ex- 
penditure of  the  public  money,  too  often  heedlessly,  if  not 
wilfully,  indulged  in  by  military  commanders. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  502. 

"  How  Small  Ambitious  Caesar  Seems!  " 

All  was  over  now,  and  Washington  prepared  to  go 

to  Annapolis  and  lay  down  his  commission 

At  Philadelphia  he  stopped  a  few  days  and  adjusted  his 
accounts,  which  he  had  in  characteristic  fashion  kept 
himself  in  the  neatest  and  most  methodical  way.  He  had 
drawn  no  pay,  and  had  expended  considerable  sums  from 
his  private  fortune,  which  he  had  omitted  to  charge  to  the 
government.  The  gross  amount  of  his  expenses  was  about 
15,000  pounds  sterling,  including  secret  service  and  other 
incidental  outlays.  In  these  days  of  wild  money-hunting, 
there  is  something  worth  pondering  in  this  simple  business 
settlement  between  a  great  general  and  his  government, 
at  the  close  of  eight  years  of  war.  This  done,  he  started 
again  on  his  journey.  From  Philadelphia  he  proceeded  to 
Annapolis,  greeted  with  addresses  and  hailed  with  shouts 
at  every  town  and  village  on  his  route,  and  having  reached 
his  destination,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Congress  on  De- 
cember 2oth,  asking  when  it  would  be  agreeable  to  them  to 
receive  him.  The  23d  was  appointed,  and  on  that  day,  at 
noon,  he  appeared  before  Congress. 

The  following  year  a  French  orator  and  "maitre 
avocat, "  in  an  oration  delivered  at  Toulouse  upon  the 
American  Revolution,  described  this  scene  in  these  words: 
"On  the  day  when  Washington  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  hall  of  Congress,  a  crown  decked  with  jewels  was  placed 
upon  the  Book  of  the  Constitutions.  Suddenly  Washington 
seizes  it,  breaks  it,  and  flings  the  pieces  to  the  assembled 
people.  How  small  ambitious  Caesar  seems  beside  the  hero 
of  America ! ' ' 

George  Washington.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  337. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  165 


How  He  Must  Have  Longed  to  Laugh ! 

Washington's  farewell  address  to  his  army  was  unlike 
most  papers  of  similar  purport ;  it  was  full  of  fatherly  advice, 
all  of  which  is  better  worth  reading  than  any  of  the  political 
utterances  of  to-day.  His  parting  with  his  officers  has 
frequently  been  described  by  pen  and  pencil,  but  as  there 
was  much  hand-shaking  and  no  talk  it  may  even  now  be 
better  imagined  than  described.  In  the  same  building,  still 
standing,  and  then  known  as  Fraunces'  Tavern,  many  a 
solid,  sober  citizen  has  since  swallowed  glasses  of  bad 
liquor  in  memory  of  the  hero,  who,  in  an  upper  chamber  of 
that  old  house,  first  broke  down  when  he  drank  his  last  glass 
of  wine  with  his  old  companions  as  a  body. 

Of  farewell  addresses  Washington  delivered  about  this 
time  nearly  as  many  as  any  actress  who  ever  began  to  retire 
from  the  stage,  but  with  this  important  difference:  they 
all  referred  to  the  same  event.  Besides  his  general  farewell 
to  the  army  he  wrote  long  letters  to  each  governor  on  the 
state  of  the  country;  all  of  them  will  repay  reading  at  the 
present  day,  for  all  were  full  of  expressions  of  loyal  pride 
in  the  new  nation  and  of  warning  against  sectional  jealousies. 

Finally  he  bade  farewell  to  Congress,  his  address  being 
verbal,  by  request  of  that  body.  His  speeches  were  as 
famous  for  brevity  as  were  his  letters  for  length,  yet  the 
enterprising  local  journalist  of  the  day,  Congress  being  in 
session  at  Annapolis,  remarked  that  "few  tragedies  ever 
drew  so  many  tears  from  so  many  beautiful  eyes  as  the  mov- 
ing manner  in  which  his  Excellency  took  his  final  leave  of 
Congress. "  As  reporters  at  that  time  seldom  had  a  chance 
to  "spread  themselves,"  this  rather  exuberant  sentence 
might  be  susceptible  of  some  discount,  had  not  several  care- 
ful writers  used  even  stronger  language. 

Washington's  speech  was  certainly  affecting,  and  his 
manner  dignified,  but  how  he  must  have  longed  to  laugh 
when,  in  response  to  his  short  address,  the  reply  of  Congress 


166  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

— and  it  was  all  that  Washington  could  have  desired — was 
spoken  by  Mifflin,  who  a  few  years  before  was  a  member 
of  the  detestable  Con  way  cabal!  "Time  at  last  makes  all 
things  even." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  252. 

Written  Address  on  Resigning  His  Commission 

"ANNAPOLIS,  23  December,  1783. 
"Mr.  President: 

"  The  great  events,  upon  which  my  resignation  depended, 
having  at  length  taken  place,  I  have  now  the  honor  of 
offering  my  sincere  congratulations  to  Congress,  and  of 
presenting  myself  before  them,  to  surrender  into  their 
hands  the  trust  committed  to  me,  and  to  claim  the  indul- 
gence of  retiring  from  the  Service  of  my  Country. 

"  Happy  in  the  confirmation  of  our  Independence  and 
Sovereignty,  and  pleased  with  the  opportunity  afforded 
the  United  States  of  becoming  a  respectable  nation,  I  resign 
with  satisfaction  the  appointment  I  accepted  with  diffidence ; 
a  diffidence  in  my  abilities  to  accomplish  so  arduous  a  task, 
which,  however,  was  superseded  by  a  confidence  in  the 
rectitude  of  our  cause,  the  support  of  the  supreme  Power  of 
the  Union,  and  the  patronage  of  Heaven. . 

"The  successful  termination  of  the  war  has  verified  the 
most  sanguine  expectations;  and  my  gratitude  for  the 
interposition  of  Providence,  and  the  assistance  I  have 
received  from  my  countrymen,  increases  with  every  review 
of  the  momentous  contest. 

"While  I  repeat  my  obligations  to  the  army  in  general, 
I  should  do  injustice  to  my  own  feelings  not  to  acknowledge, 
in  this  place,  the  peculiar  services  and  distinguished  merits 
of  the  gentlemen,  who  have  been  attached  to  my  person 
during  the  war.  It  was  impossible  that  the  choice  of  con- 
fidential officers  to  compose  my  family  should  have  been 
more  fortunate.  Permit  me,  Sir,  to  recommend  in  particular 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  WAR  167 

those,  who  have  continued  in  service  to  the  present  moment, 
as  worthy  of  the  favorable  notice  and  patronage  of  Congress. 

"  I  consider  it  an  indispensable  duty  to  close  this  last 
solemn  act  of  my  official  life,  by  commending  the  interests 
of  our  dearest  country  to  the  protection  of  Almighty  God, 
and  those  who  have  the  superintendence  of  them  to  His  holy 
keeping. 

''Having  now  finished  the  work  assigned  me,  I  retire 
from  the  great  theatre  of  action ;  and,  bidding  an  affection- 
ate farewell  to  this  august  body,  under  whose  orders  I  have 
so  long  acted,  I  here  offer  my  commission,  and  take  my  leave 
of  all  the  employments  of  public  life. " 

Writings  of  George  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  237. 

Thackeray  Contrasts  the  Two  Georges 

The  scene  was  the  hall  of  Congress.  The  members 
representing  the  sovereign  power  were  seated  and  covered, 
while  all  the  space  about  was  filled  by  the  governor  and  State 
officers  of  Maryland,  by  military  officers,  and  by  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood,  who  stood  in  respectful 
silence  with  uncovered  heads.  Washington  was  intro- 
duced by  the  Secretary  of  Congress,  and  took  a  chair  which 
had  been  assigned  to  him.  There  was  a  brief  pause, 
and  then  the  president  said  that  "  the  United  States  in  Con- 
gress assembled  were  prepared  to  receive  his  communi- 
cation."  .  .  . 

In  singularly  graceful  and  eloquent  words  his  old 
opponent,  Thomas  Mifflin,  the  president,  replied,  the 
simple  ceremony  ended,  and  Washington  left  the  room  a 
private  citizen. 

The  great  master  of  English  fiction,  touching  this 
scene  with  skilful  hand,  has  said: 

"  Which  was  the  most  splendid  spectacle  ever  witnessed, 
the  opening  feast  of  Prince  George  in  London,  or  the  resigna- 
tion of  Washington?  Which  is  the  most  noble  character 


1 68  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

for  after  ages  to  admire, — yon  fribble  dancing  in  laces  and 
spangles,  or  yonder  hero  who  sheathes  his  sword  after  a  life 
of  spotless  honor,  a  purity  unreproached,  a  courage  indomi- 
table, and  a  consummate  victory?" 

Geqrge  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  I,  p.  339- 

Blessings  on  Thee ! 

Traitors  shall  perish  and  treason  shall  fail ; 
Kingdoms  and  thrones  in  thy  glory  shall  pale ! 
Thou  shalt  live  on,  and  thy  people  shall  own 
Loyalty's  sweet  when  each  heart  is  thy  throne ; 
Union  and  freedom  thine  heritage  be. 
Country  of  Washington ! — blessings  on  thee ! 

Lines  by  W.  S.  Robinson,  Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler, 
P.  132- 


Americans  victorious  at  Cowpens.  .  .  .January  17,  1781 
Americans    defeated    at    Guilford    Court   House, 

March  15,  1781 

Arnold's    invasion    of   Virginia    for    the  British,  1781 
Cornwallis  surrenders  at  Yorktown.  .October  19,  1781 
Suspension  of  hostilities  in  War  for  Independence,  1782 
Treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  signed,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1783 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

"THE   ClN(JINNATUS   OP   THE    WEST" 
Mount  Vernon  Becomes  a  Mecca 

Having  resigned  his  commission,  Washington  stood 
not  upon  the  order  of  his  going,  but  went  at  once  to  Virginia, 
and  reached  Mount  Vernon  the  next  day,  in  season  to  enjoy 
the  Christmas- tide  at  home.  It  was  with  a  deep  sigh  of 
relief  that  he  sat  himself  down  again  by  his  own  fireside, 
for  all  through  the  war  the  one  longing  that  never  left  his 
mind  was  for  the  banks  of  the  Potomac.  He  loved  home 
after  the  fashion  of  his  race,  but  with  more  than  common 
intensity,  and  the  country  life  was  dear  to  him  in  all  its 
phases.  He  liked  its  quiet  occupations  and  wholesome 
sports,  and,  like  most  strong  and  simple  natures,  he  loved 
above  all  an  open-air  existence.  He  felt  that  he  had  earned 
his  rest,  with  all  the  temperate  pleasures  and  employments 
that  came  with  it,  and  he  fondly  believed  that  he  was  about 
to  renew  the  habits  which  he  had  abandoned  for  eight  weary 
years.  Four  days  after  his  return  he  wrote  to  Governor 
Clinton : 

"  The  scene  is  at  last  closed.  I  feel  myself  eased  of  a 
load  of  public  care.  I  hope  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my 
days  in  cultivating  the  affections  of  good  men  and  in  the 
practice  of  the  domestic  virtues. " 

That  the  hope  was  sincere  we  may  well  suppose,  but 
that  it  was  more  than  a  hope  may  be  doubted.  It  was  a  wish, 
not  a  belief,  and  Washington  must  have  felt  that  there  was 
work  that  he  would  surely  be  called  to  do.  Still  for  the 
present  the  old  life  was  there,  and  he  threw  himself  into  it 
with  eager  zest,  though  age  and  care  put  some  of  the  former 
habits  aside.  He  resumed  his  hunting,  and  Lafayette  sent 

(169) 


1 70  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

him  a  pack  of  splendid  French  wolf-hounds.  But  they 
proved  somewhat  fierce  and  unmanageable,  and  were  given 
up,  and  after  that  the  following  of  the  hounds  was  never 
resumed.  In  other  respects  there  was  little  change.  The 
work  of  the  plantation  and  the  affairs  of  the  estate,  much 
disordered  by  his  absence,  once  more  took  shape  and  moved 
on  successfully  under  the  owner's  eye.  There  were,  as 
of  old,  the  long  days  in  the  saddle,  the  open  house  and 
generous  hospitality,  the  quiet  evenings,  and  the  thousand 
and  one  simple  labors  and  enjoyments  of  rural  life.  But 
with  all  this  were  the  newer  and  deeper  cares,  born  of  the 
change  which  had  been  wrought  in  the  destiny  of  the 
country.  The  past  broke  in  and  could  not  be  pushed 
aside,  the  future  knocked  at  the  door  and  demanded  an 
answer  to  its  questionings. 

He  had  left  home  a  distinguished  Virginian ;  he  returned 
one  of  the  most  famous  men  ity  the  world,  and  such  celebrity 
brought  its  usual  penalties.  Every  foreigner  of  any  posi- 
tion who  came  to  the  country  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Mount 
Vernon,  and  many  Americans  did  the  same.  Their  coming 
was  not  allowed  to  alter  the  mode  of  life,  but  they  were  all 
hospitably  received,  and  they  consumed  many  hours  of  their 
host's  precious  time. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  i. 

"  Tell  George  to  Come  Here  Instantly !  " 

On  Christmas  Eve,  1783,  he  was  once  more  at  Mount 
Vernon,  to  resume  the  life  he  loved  more  than  victory  and 
power.  He  had  a  zest  for  the  means  and  the  labor  of 
succeeding,  but  not  for  the  mere  content  of  success.  He  put 
the  Revolution  behind  him  as  he  would  have  laid  aside  a 
book  that  was  read;  turned  from  it  as  quietly  as  he  had 
turned  from  receiving  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  York- 
town — interested  in  victory  not  as  a  pageant  and  field  of 
glory,  but  only  as  a  means  to  an  end.  He  looked  to  find 
very  sweet  satisfaction  in  the  peace  which  war  had  earned, 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          171 

as  sufficient  a  scope  for  his  powers  at  home  as  in  the  field. 
Once  more  he  would  be  a  Virginian,  and  join  his  strength 
to  his  neighbors'  in  all  the  tasks  of  good  citizenship.  He 
had  seen  nothing  of  the  old  familiar  places  since  that  far- 
away spring  of  the  year  1775,  when  he  had  left  his  farming 
and  fox-hunting,  amidst  rumors  of  war,  to  attend  the 
Congress  which  was  to  send  him  to  Cambridge.  He  had 
halted  at  Fredericksburg,  indeed,  with  the  Count  de  Rocham- 
beau,  two  years  ago,  ere  he  followed  his  army  from  York 
to  his  posts  upon  the  Hudson.  Mrs.  Lewis,  his  sister, 
had  returned  one  day  from  visiting  a  neighbor  in  the  quiet 
town  to  look  in  astonishment  upon  an  officer's  horses  and 
attendants  at  her  door,  and  had  entered  to  find  her  beloved 
brother  stretched  upon  her  own  bed  within,  sound  asleep 
in  his  clothes,  like  a  boy  returned  from  hunting.  There 
had  been  a  formal  ball  given,  too,  in  celebration  of  the  victory, 
before  the  French  officers  and  the  commander-in-chief  left 
Fredericksburg  to  go  northward  again,  and  Washington  had 
had  the  joy  of  entering  the  room  in  the  face  of  the  gay 
company  with  his  aged  mother  on  his  arm,  not  a  whit  bent 
for  all  her  seventy-four  years,  and  as  quiet  as  a  queen  at 
receiving  the  homage  of  her  son's  comrades  in  arms.  A 
servant  had  told  her  that  "Mars  George"  had  put  up  at 
the  tavern.  "Go  and  tell  George  to  come  here  instantly," 
she  had  commanded;  and  he  had  come,  masterful  man 
though  he  was.  He  had  felt  every  old  affection  and  every 
old  allegiance  as  he  saw  former  neighbors  crowd  around  him ; 
and  that  little  glimpse  of  Virginia  had  refreshed  him  ilke 
a  tonic — deeply,  as  if  it  renewed  his  very  nature,  as  only 
a  silent  man  can  be  refreshed.  But  a  few  days  in 
Fredericksburg  and  at  Mount  Vernon  then  had  been 
only  an  incident  of  campaigning,  only  a  grateful  pause 
on  march.  Now  at  last  he  had  come  back  to  keep  his 
home  and  be  a  neighbor  again,  as  he  had  not  been  these 
nine  years. 

George  Washington,  Woodrow  Wilson,  p.  228. 


1 72  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


From  Virginian  to  American 

No  man  of  that  time  with  the  exception  of  Hamilton, 
ever  grasped  and  realized  as  he  did  the  imperial  future  which 
stretched  before  the  United  States.  It  was  a  difficult 
thing  for  men  who  had  been  born  colonists  to  rise  to  a  sense 
of  national  opportunities,  but  Washington  passed  at  a 
single  step  from  being  a  Virginian  to  being  an  American, 
and  in  so  doing  he  stood  alone.  He  was  really  and 
thoroughly  national  from  the  beginning  of  the  war,  at  a 
time  when,  except  for  a  few  oratorical  phrases,  no  one  had 
ever  thought  of  such  a  thing  as  a  practical  and  living  ques- 
tion. In  the  same  way  he  had  passed  rapidly  to  an  accurate 
conception  of  the  probable  growth  and  greatness  of  the 
country,  and  again  he  stood  alone.  Hamilton,  born  outside 
the  colonies,  unhampered  by  local  prejudices  and  attach- 
ments, and  living  in  Washington's  family,  as  soon  as  he 
turned  his  mind  to  the  subject,  became,  like  his  chief, 
,  entirely  national  and  imperial  in  his  views ;  but  the  other 
American  statesmen  of  that  day,  with  the  exception  of 
Franklin,  only  followed  gradually  and  sometimes  reluctantly 
in  adopting  their  opinions.  Some  of  them  never  adopted 
them  at  all,  but  remained  embedded  in  local  ideas,  and  very 
few  got  beyond  the  region  of  words  and  actually  grasped 
the  facts  with  the  absolutely  clear  perception  which  Wash- 
ington had  from  the  outset.  Thus  it  was  that  when  the 
war  closed  one  of  the  ruling  ideas  in  Washington's  mind 
was  to  assure  the  future  which  he  saw  opening  before  the 
country.  He  perceived  at  a  glance  that  the  key  and  the 
guarantee  of  that  future  were  in  the  wild  regions  of  the 
West.  Hence  his  constant  anxiety  as  to  the  western  posts, 
as  to  our  Indian  policy,  and  as  to  the  maintenance  of  a 
sufficient  armed  force  upon  our  borders  to  check  the  aggres- 
sions of  English  or  savages,  and  to  secure  free  scope  for 
settlement.  In  advancing  these  ideas  on  a  national  scale, 
however,  he  was  rendered  helpless  by  the  utter  weakness  of 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          173 

Congress,  which  even  his  influence  was  powerless  to  over- 
come. He  therefore  began,  immediately  after  his  retreat  to 
private  life,  to  formulate  and  bring  into  existence  such 
practical  measures  as  were  possible  for  the  development 
of  the  West,  believing  that  if  Congress  could  not  act,  the 
people  would,  if  any  opportunity  were  given  to  their  natural 
enterprise. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  7  . 

"  Under  My  Own  Vine  and  Fig-tree  " 

"Under  my  own  vine  and  fig-tree"  was  the  most 
attractive  picture  Washington's  mind  could  conceive. 
During  the  war  he  referred  many  times  to  the  happy  day 
coming  when  he  could  return  to  private  life.  When  he 
came  back  to  Mount  Vernon  after  eight  years  of  toil,  hazard, 
anxiety  and  exasperation,  he  felt  that  he  had  at  last  gained 
his  reward — the  privilege  of  passing  the  rest  of  his  days  in 
quiet  with  his  family.  The  adulation  of  those  who  had  once 
ridiculed  or  hampered  him  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  him. 
People  could  at  last  see  that  Washington,  and  he  alone, 
had  saved  the  country. 

But  the  country  was  still  incoherent.  The  separate 
States  relapsed  into  their  former  ways  of  thinking  and  acting. 
There  was  no  head,  no  organization,  no  real  sympathy. 
The  country  was  like  thirteen  colonial  staves  without  a  hoop 
to  hold  them  together.  Washington  saw  this  from  the  quiet 
of  Mount  Vernon  and  did  his  best  to  remedy  existing  con- 
ditions as  he  had  done  twenty  years  before,  during  the  days 
of  the  Stamp  Act.  He  was  too  philanthropic,  too  public 
spirited  to  keep  aloof. 

People  nowadays  seem  to  think  life  at  Mount  Vernon 
was  a  prosy,  stilted  existence.  Nothing  could  be  further 
from  the  truth.  Washington  was  a  great  man  to  laugh, 
and  a  man  of  jovial  humor.  He  appreciated  a  good  story, 
and  enjoyed  a  practical  joke  like  an  undergraduate.  Judge 
Marshall  tells  a  story  which  shows  Washington  in  a  new 


I74  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

light.  It  was  about  a  predicament  he  and  Washington's 
favorite  nephew,  Bushrod,  got  into.  They  were  going  to 
Mount  Vernon,  and  stopped  in  a  neighboring  grove  to  take 
off  their  dusty  clothes  and  make  themselves  fresh,  clean  and 
presentable  on  their  arrival  at  the  mansion.  After  they 
had  taken  off  all  their  clothes  and  were  ready  for  a  body- 
servant  to  hand  them  clean  apparel',  he  opened  the  port- 
manteau he  had  brought  and  was  aghast  to  find  in  it  only 
fancy  soaps,  tape,  needles  and  the  small  wares  of  an  itinerant 
pedler.  At  the  last  inn  at  which  they  had  stopped  the  man 
had  exchanged  valises  with  a  Scotch  peddler.  His  rueful 
countenance  made  them  laugh  in  spite  of  their  own  plight. 
Their  laughter  attracted  the  attention  of  Washington,  who 
happened  to  be  walking  near,  and  he  came  to  see  what 
amused  them.  The  two  naked  men,  full  of  mirth  and  con- 
sternation, made  signs  deprecating  their  absurd  predicament. 
Washington  took  in  their  dilemma  at  a  glance  and  was  so 
overcome  by  the  ludicrousness  of  the  situation  that  he 
actually  rolled  upon  the  ground,  shouting  with  uncontrolled 
merriment  at  his  friends'  expense ! 

Many  stories  are  told  of  his  giving  way  to  mirth  after 
the  greatest  mental  strain,  even  at  Valley  Forge,  and  during 
the  darkest  days  of  the  war.  A  jackass  given  him  by  the 
King  of  Spain,  was  always  a  source  of  amusement.  He 
compared  the  animal  to  and  even  had  a  mind  to  name  the 
beast  for  the  king,  his  former  master. 

A  facetious  writer  says  of  him: 

"Although  we  have  been  told  that  when  Washington 
was  six  years  old  he  could  not  tell  a  lie,  yet  he  afterwards 
partially  overcame  the  disability.  On  one  occasion  he 
writes  to  a  friend  that  the  mosquitoes  of  New  Jersey  can 
bite  through  the  thickest  boot." 

This  "authority"  goes  on  to  prove  that  Washington 
told  white  lies.  He  forgets  that  "  all  is  fair  in  love  and  war, " 
as  in  the  case  of  the  brilliant  feints  which  deceived  Clinton 
and  permitted  Washington  to  go  to  Virginia  and  then  and 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST'  175 

there  end  the  war.  This  joker  should  be  the  last  to  complain 
because  .George  Washington  was  the  originator  of  the  old 
joke  about  Jersey  mosquitoes. 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar.  Wayne  Whipple.  December  4  to  10.  1910. 

Van  Braam  Again,  after  Thirty  Years 

It  was  a  curious  circumstance,  that  scarce  had  Wash- 
ington retired  from  the  bustle  of  arms  and  hung  up  his 
sword  at  Mount  Vernon,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
worthy  who  had  first  taught  him  the  use  of  that  sword  in 
these  very  halls.  In  a  word,  Jacob  Van  Braam,  his  early 
teacher  of  the  sword  exercise,  his  fellow  campaigner  and 
unlucky  interpreter  in  the  affair  of  the  Great  Meadows, 
turned  up  once  more.  His  letter  gave  a  glance  over  the 
current  of  his  life.  It  would  appear  that  after  the  close  of 
the  French  war,  he  had  been  allowed  half  pay  in  considera- 
tion of  his  services  and  misadventures;  and,  in  process  of 
time,  had  married,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Wales  with  his 
wife  and  his  wife's  mother.  He  had  carried  with  him  to 
England  a  strong  feeling  in  favor  of  America,  and  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolution  had  been  very  free,  and,  as 
he  seemed  to  think,  eloquent  and  effective  in  speaking  in 
all  companies  and  at  country  meetings  against  the  American 
war.  Suddenly,  as  if  to  stop  his  mouth,  he  received  orders 
from  Lord  Amherst,  then  commander-in-chief,  to  join  his 
regiment  (the  6gth),  in  which  he  was  appointed  eldest 
captain  in  the  3d  battalion.  In  vain  he  pleaded  his  rural 
occupations;  his  farm  cultivated  at  so  much  cost,  for 
which  he  was  in  debt,  and  which  must  go  to  ruin  should 
he  abandon  it  so  abruptly.  No  excuse  was  admitted — he 
must  embark  and  sail  for  East  Florida,  or  lose  his  half  pay. 
He  accordingly  sailed  for  St.  Augustine  in  the  beginning  of 
1776,  with  a  couple  of  hundred  recruits  picked  up  in  London, 
resolving  to  sell  out  of  the  army  on  the  first  opportunity. 
By  a  series  of  cross-purposes  he  was  prevented  from  doing 
so  until  in  1779,  having  in  the  interim  made  a  campaign  in 


i76  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Georgia.  "He  quitted  the  service,"  he  adds,  "with  as 
much  pleasure  as  ever  a  young  man  entered  it. " 

He  then  returned  to  England  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Devonshire;  but  his  invincible  propensity  to  talk  against 
the  ministry  made  his  residence  there  uncomfortable.  His 
next  move,  therefore,  was  to  the  old  fertile  province  of 
Orleannois  in  France,  where  he  was  still  living  near  Males- 
herbes,  apparently  at  his  ease,  enjoying  the  friendship  of 
the  distinguished  person  of  that  name,  and  better  versed, 
it  is  to  be  hoped,  in  the  French  language  than  when  he 
officiated  as  interpreter  in  the  capitulation  at  the  Great 
Meadows.  The  worthy  major  appeared  to  contemplate 
with  joy  and  pride  the  eminence  to  which  his  early  pupil  in 
the  sword  exercise  had  attained. 

"Give  me  leave,  sir,  before  I  conclude,"  writes  he, 
"to  pour  out  the  sentiments  of  my  soul  in  congratulating 
you  for  your  successes  in  the  American  contest;  and  in 
wishing  you  a  long  life,  to  enjoy  the  blessing  of  a  great 
people  whom  you  have  been  the  chief  instrument  in  freeing 
from  bondage." 

So  disappears  from  the  scene  one  of  the  earliest  per- 
sonages of  our  history. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving.  Vol.  IV.  p.  511. 

Fine  Clothes  Do  Not  Make  Fine  Men 

Although  always  very  particular  about  his  dress, 
Washington  was  no  dandy,  as  some  have  supposed.  "Do 
not,"  he  wrote  to  his  nephew  in  1783,  "conceive  that  fine 
clothes  make  fine  men  any  more  than  fine  feathers  make 
fine  birds.  A  plain,  genteel  dress,  is  more  admired  and 
obtains  more  credit  than  lace  or  embroidery  in  the  eyes  of 
the  judicious  and  sensible." 

Sullivan  thus  describes  Washington  at  a  levee:  "He 
was  dressed  in  black  velvet,  his  hair  full  dress,  powdered, 
and  gathered  behind  in  a  large,  silk  bag,  yellow  gloves  on  his 
hands;  holding  a  cocked  hat,  with  a  cockade  in  it,  and  the 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          m 

edges  adorned  with  a  black  feather  about  an  inch  deep. 
He  wore  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  and  a  long  sword. 
The  scabbard  was  of  white  polished  leather." 

Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler,  p.  245. 

Ploughs  and  Hunting 

Like  other  country  gentlemen  of  his  time,  he  tried  his 
inventive  faculty  with  a  new  plough,  and  the  diary  describes 
the  manufacture: 

"  March  6th. — Fitted  a  two-eyed  plough,  instead  of  a 
duck-billed  plough,  and  with  much  difficulty  made  my 
chariot -wheel  horses  plough,  yth. — Put  the  pole-end  horses 
into  the  plough  in  the  morning,  and  put  in  the  postilion 
and  hind  horses  in  the  afternoon,  but  the  ground  being  well 
swarded  over,  and  very  heavy  ploughing,  I  repented  putting 
them  in  at  all,  for  fear  it  should  give  them  a  habit  of  stopping 
in  the  chariot." 

The  diaries  have  frequent  allusions  to  success  or 
failure  in  hunting.  Washington  delighted  in  the  chase. 
Even  in  going  to  watch  the  works  in  parts  of  the  estate 
where  he  supposed  a  fox  might  be  started  he  would  take 
the  dogs  with  him.  He  was  always  a  bold  rider  and  a  good 
horseman.  It  is  recollected  that,  at  the  battle  of  Princeton, 
when  he  saw  an  English  regiment  give  way,  he  turned  to 
his  staff  and  said,  "An  old-fashioned  Virginia  fox-hunt, 
gentlemen. ' ' 

Life  of  George  Washington  Studied  Anew,  Edward  Everett  Hale.  p.  137. 

The  Nephew  and  the  Ice-house 

The  session  of  the  Cincinnati  did  not  detain  him 
longer  than  May  in  Philadelphia.  He  came  back  to  Mount 
Vernon  to  find,  among  other  things,  that  his  ice  had  not 
kept,  or,  as  he  says,  that  he  was  "lurched."  A  friendly 
letter  to  Robert  Morris,  asking  his  help  for  a  nephew,  a 
brother  to  the  gentleman  who  became  Judge  Bushrod 
Washington,  announces  this  misfortune: 

v 


i78  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  MOUNT  VERNON,  June  2,  1784. 

vr  .  The  inclination  of  the  young  gentleman 
also  points  to  this  walk  of  life;  he  is  turned  twenty;  pos- 
sesses, I  am  told  (for  he  is  a  stranger  to  me),  good  natural 
abilities,  an  amiable  disposition,  and  an  uncommon  share 
of  prudence  and  circumspection. 

"  Would  it  suit  you,  my  dear  sir,  to  take  him  into  your 
counting-house,  and  to  afford  him  your  patronage  ?  If  this 
is  not  convenient,  who  would  you  recommend  for  this 
purpose?  What  advance  and  what  other  requisites  are 
necessary  to  initiate  him?  Excuse  this  trouble;  to  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  a  parent  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  his 
children,  I  give  it,  and  my  friendship  prompted  it,  but  I  wish 
you  to  be  perfectly  unembarrassed  by  the  application,  on 
either  account. 

"  If  General  Armand  should  have  left  Philadelphia, 
you  will  oblige  me  by  placing  the  enclosed  in  the  readiest 
channel  of  conveyance.  My  affectionate  regards,  in  which 
Mrs.  Washington  joins  me,  attend  Mrs.  Morris,  yourself, 
and  family.  With  every  sentiment  of  friendship  and 
pure  esteem, 

"  I  remain,  dear  sir,  etc.,  etc., 

"G.  WASHINGTON. 

"P.  S. — The  house  I  rilled  with  ice  does  not  answer; 
it  is  gone  already.  If  you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  cause  a 
description  of  yours  to  be  taken — the  size,  manner  of 
building,  and  mode  of  management, — and  forward  it  to  me, 
I  shall  be  much  obliged.  My  house  was  filled  chiefly  with 
snow.  Have  you  ever  tried  snow?  Do  you  think  Jt  is 
owing  to  this  that  I  am  lurched?" 

Life  of  Georg"  Washington  Studied  Anew ,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  p.  284. 

The  Fact  Called  "  George  Washington  " 

The  scheme  which  he  proposed  was  to  open  the  western 
country  by  means  of  inland  navigation.  The  thought  had 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          179 

long  been  in  his  mind.  It  had  come  to  him  before  the 
Revolution,  and  can  be  traced  back  to  the  early  days  when 
he  was  making  surveys,  buying  wild  lands,  and  meditating 
very  deeply,  but  very  practically  on  the  possible  develop- 
ment of  the  colonies.  Now  the  idea  assumed  much  larger 
proportions  and  a  much  graver  aspect.  He  perceived  in 
it  the  first  step  toward  the  empire  which  he  foresaw,  and 
when  he  had  laid  down  his  sword  and  awoke  in  the  peaceful 
morning  at  Mount  Vernon,  "  with  a  strange  sense  of  freedom 
from  official  cares, "  he  directed  his  attention  at  once  to  this 
plan,  in  which  he  really  could  do  something,  despite  ah  inert 
Congress  and  a  dissolving  confederation.  His  first  letter 
on  the  subject  was  written  in  March,  1784,  and  addressed 
to  Jefferson,  who  was  then  in  Congress;  and  who  sym- 
pathized with  Washington's  views  without  seeing  how  far 
they  reached.  He  told  Jefferson  how  he  despaired  of 
government  aid,  and  how  he  therefore  intended  to  revive 
the  scheme  of  a  company,  which  he  had  started  in  1775, 
and  which  had  been  abandoned  on  account  of  the  war.  He 
showed  the  varying  interests  which  it  was  necessary  to 
conciliate,  asked  Jefferson  to  see  the  governor  of  Maryland, 
so  that  that  State  might  be  brought  into  the  undertaking, 
and  referred  to  the  danger  of  being  anticipated  and  beaten 
by  New  York,  a  chord  of  local  pride  which  he  continued  to 
touch  most  adroitly  as  the  business  proceeded.  Very  char- 
acteristically, too,  he  took  pains  to  call  attention  to  the  fact 
that  by  his  ownership  of  land  he  had  a  personal  interest  in 
the  enterprise.  He  looked  far  beyond  his  own  lands,  but 
he  was  glad  to  have  his  property  developed,  and  with  his 
usual  freedom  from  anything  like  pretense,  he  drew  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  of  his  personal  interests. 

The  practical  result  was  that  the  legislature  took  the 
question  up,  more  in  deference  to  the  writer's  wishes  and 
in  gratitude  for  his  services,  than  from  any  comprehension 
of  what  the  scheme  meant.  The  companies  were  duly 
organized,  and  the  promoter  was  given  a  hundred  and  fifty 


i8o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

shares,  on  the  ground  that  the  legislature  wished  to  take 
every  opportunity  of  testifying  their  sense  of  "the  unex- 
ampled merits  of  George  Washington  towards  his  country.  " 
Washington  was  much  touched  and  not  a  little  troubled 
by  this  action.  He  had  been  willing,  as  he  said,  to  give  up 
his  cherished  privacy  and  repose  in  order  to  forward  the 
enterprise.  He  had  gone  to  Maryland  even,  and  worked 
to  engage  that  State  in  the  scheme,  but  he  could  not  bear 
the  idea  of  taking  money  for  what  he  regarded  as  part  of 
a  great  public  policy. 

"I  would  wish,"  he  said,  "that  every  individual  who 
may  hear  that  it  was  a  favorite  plan  of  mine  may  know  also 
that  I  had  no  other  motive  for  promoting  it  than  the 
advantage  of  which  I  conceived  it  would  be  productive  to 
the  Union,  and  to  this  State  in  particular,  by  cementing  the 
eastern  and  western  territory  together,  at  the  same  time 
that  it  will  give  vigor  and  increase  to  our  commerce,  and  be 
a  convenience  to  our  citizens. 

"  How  would  this  matter  be  viewed,  then,  by  the  eye  of 
the  world,  and  what  would  be  the  opinion  of  it,  when  it 
comes  to  be  related  that  George  Washington  has  received 
twenty  thousand  dollars  and  five  thousand  pounds  sterling 
of  the  public  money  as  an  interest  therein  ? ' ' 

He  thought  it  would  make  him  look  like  a  "pensioner 
or  dependent"  to  accept  this  gratuity,  and  he  recoiled  from 
the  idea.  There  is  something  entirely  frank  and  human  in 
the  way  in  which  he  says  "George  Washington,"  instead 
of  using  the  first  pronoun  singular.  He  always  saw  facts 
as  they  were,  he  understood  the  fact  called  "George  Wash- 
ington" as  perfectly  as  any  other,  and  although  he  wanted 
retirement  and  privacy,  he  had  no  mock  modesty  in  esti- 
mating his  own  place  in  the  world.  At  .the  same  time, 
while  he  wished  to  be  rid  of  the  kindly  gift,  he  shrank  from 
putting  on  what  he  called  the  appearance  of  "ostentatious 
disinterestedness"  by  refusing  it.  Finally  he  took  the 
stock  and  endowed  two  charity  schools  with  the  dividends. 


THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          181 


The  scheme  turned  out  successfully,  and  the  work  still 
endures,  like  the  early  surveys  and  various  other  things 
of  a  very  different  kind  to  which  Washington  put  his  hand. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  9. 

Goes  to  Visit  Lands  on  the  Ohio  and  Kanawha  Rivers 

Washington  now  prepared  for  a  tour  to  the  west  of  the 
Appalachian  Mountains,  to  visit  his  lands  on  the  Ohio  and 
Kanawha  rivers.  Dr.  Craik,  the  companion  of  his  various 
campaigns,  and  who  had  accompanied  him  in  1770  on  a 
similar  tour,  was  to  be  his  fellow-traveler.  The  way  they 
were  to  travel  may  be  gathered  from  Washington's  direc- 
tions to  the  doctor: —  "You  will  have  occasion  to  take 
nothing  from  home  but  a  servant  to  look  after  your  horses, 
and  such  bedding  as  you  may  think  proper  to  make  use  of. 
I  will  carry  a  marquee,  some  camp  utensils,  and  a  few 
stores.  A  boat,  or  some  other  kind  of  a  vessel,  will  be 
provided  for  the  voyage  down  the  river,  either  at  my  place 
on  the  Youghiogheny  or  Fort  Pitt,  measures  for  this  pur- 
pose have  already  been  taken.  A  few  medicines,  and  hooks 
and  lines,  you  may  probably  want." 

This  soldier-like  tour,  made  in  hardy  military'  style, 
with  tent,  pack-horses,  and  frugal  supplies,  took  him  once 
more  among  the  scenes  of  his  youthful  expeditions  when  a 
land  surveyor  in  the  employ  of  Lord  Fairfax;  a  leader  of 
Virginia  militia,  or  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  unfortunate 
Braddock.  A  veteran  now  in  years,  and  a  general  renowned 
in  arms,  he  soberly  permitted  his  steed  to  pick  his  way 
across  the  mountains  by  the  old  military  route,  still  called 
Braddock's  road,  over  which  he  had  spurred  in  the  days 
of  youthful  ardor.  His  original  intention  had  been  to 
survey  and  inspect  his  lands  on  the  Monongahela  river; 
then  to  descend  the  Ohio  to  the  great  Kanawha,  where  he 
also  had  large  tracts  of  wild  land.  On  arriving  at  the 
Monongahela,  however,  he  heard  such  accounts  of  'dis- 
content and  irritation  among  the  Indian  tribes,  that  he  did 


1 82  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

not  consider  it  prudent  to  venture  among  them.  Some  of 
his  land  on  the  Monongahela  was  settled;  the  rest  was  in 
the  wilderness,  and  of  little  value  in  the  present  unquiet 
state  of  the  country.  He  abridged  his  tour,  therefore; 
proceeded  no  further  west  than  the  Monongahela ;  ascended 
that  riyer,  and  then  struck .  southward  through  the  wild, 
unsettled  regions  of  the  Alleghanies,  until  he  came  out  into 
the  Shenandoah  valley  near  Staunton.  He  returned  to 
Mount  Vernon  on  the  4th  of  October;  having  since  the 
ist  of  September  traveled  on  horseback  six  hundred  and 
eighty  miles,  for  a  great  part  of  the  time  in  wild,  moun- 
tainous country,  where  he  was  obliged  to  encamp  at  night. 
This,  like  his  tour  to  the  northern  forts  with  Governor 
Clinton,  gave  proof  of  his  unfailing  vigor  and  activity. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving  Vol.  IV,  p.  si 7- 

From  Washington's  Diary  of  September,  MDCCImiv 

Set  out  about  7  Oclock  with  the  Doctr.  (Craik)  and  his 
Son  William,  and  my  Nephew  Bushrod  Washington,  who 
were  to  make  the  tour  with  us. — about  ten  I  parted  with 
them  at  5  Miles  Creek,  &  recrossed  the  Potomack  (having 
passed  it  ab*.  3  Miles  from  the  Springs  before)  to  a  tract  of 
mine  on  the  Virginia  Side  which  I  find  exceedingly  Rich,  & 
must  be  very  valuable. — the  lower  end  of  the  land  is  rich 
white  oak  in  places  springey;  and  in  the  winter  wet. — the 
upper  part  is  exceedingly  rich,  and  covered  with  Walnut  of 
considerable  size  many  of  them. — Note — I  requested  a  Mr. 
Mc.  Craker  at  whose  House  I  fed  my  horses,  &  got  a  snack, 
&  whose  land  joins  mine — to  offer  mine  to  any  who  might 
apply  for  £10  the  first  year,  £15  the  next,  &  £25  the  third- 
trie  Tenant  not  to  remove  any  of  the  Walnut  timber  from 
off  the  Land ;  or  to  split  it  into  Rails ;  as  I  should  reserve 
that  for  my  own  use. — 

After  having  reviewed  this  Land  I  again  crossed  the 
River  &  getting  into  the   Waggon   Road   I   pursued   my 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          183 

journey  to  the  old  Town  where  I  overtook  my  Company  & 
Baggage— lodged  at  Col.  Cresaps— abl.   35   Miles  this  day 

9th. 

Having  discharged  the  hired  Horses  which  were  ob- 
tained at  the  springs  &  hired  one  more  only  to  supply  the 
place  of  one  of  mine,  whose  back  was  much  hurt,  we  had 
them  loaded  by  Six  oclock,  and  was  about  to  set  out  when 
it  began  to  Rain;  which  looking  very  likely  to  continue 
thro  the  day,  I  had  the  Loads  taken  off  to  await  the  issue.— 

at  this  place  I  met  a  Man  who  lives  at  the  Mouth  of  ten 
Miles  Creek  on  Monongahela,  who  assured  me,  that  this 
Creek  is  not  Navigable  for  any  kind  of  a  Craft  a  Mile  from 
its  Mouth;  unless  the  Water  of  it  is  swelled  by  Rain;  at 
which  time  he  has  known  Batteaux  brought  10  or  12  Miles 
down  it. — He  knows  little  of  the  Country  betwn.  that  and 
the  little  Kanahwa — &  and  not  more  of  that  above  him,  on 
the  Monongahela.— 

The  day  proving  rainy  we  remained  here. — 

Washington  and  the  West,  Archer  Butler  Hulbert,  p.  37. 

"  Big  with  Great  Political  as  Well  as  Commercial  Consequences  " 

Ah,  says  some  critic  in  critic's  fashion,  you  are  carried 
away  by  your  subject;  you  see  in  a  simple  business  enter- 
prise, intended  merely  to  open  western  lands,  the  far-reach- 
ing ideas  of  a  statesman.  Perhaps  our  critic  is  right,  for 
as  one  goes  on  living  with  this  Virginian  soldier,  studying 
his  letters  and  his  thoughts,  one  comes  to  believe  many 
things  of  him,  and  to  detect  much  meaning  in  his  sayings 
and  doings.  Let  us,  however,  show  our  evidence  at  least. 
Here  is  what  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Humphreys  a  year  after 
his  scheme  was  afoot:  "My  attention  is  more  immediately 
engaged  in  a  project  which  I  think  big  with  great  political 
as  well  as  commercial  consequences  to  the  States,  especially 
the  middle  ones" ;  and  then  he  went  on  to  argue  the  neces- 
sity of  fastening  the  Western  States  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard 


184  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  thus  thwarting  Spain  and  England.  This  looks  like 
more  than  a  money-making  scheme;  in  fact,  it  justifies  all 
that  has  been  said,  especially  if  read  in  connection  with 
certain  other  letters  of  this  period.  Great  political  results, 
as  well  as  lumber  and  peltry,  were  what  Washington  intended 
to  float  along  his  rivers  and  canals. 

In  this  same  letter  to  Humphreys  he  touched  also  on 
another  point  in  connection  with  the  development  of  the 
West,  which  was  of  vast  importance  to  the  future  of  the 
country,  and  was  even  then  agitating  men's  minds.  He  said  : 

"  I  may  be  singular  in  my  ideas,  but  they  are  these : 
that  to  open  a  door  to,  and  make  easy  the  way  for  those 
settlers  to  the  westward,  (who  ought  to  advance  regularly 
and  compactly)  before  we  make  any  stir  about  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi,  and  before  our  settlements  are  far 
advanced  toward  that  river,  would  be  our  true  line  of  policy. " 

Again  he  wrote: 

"  However  singular  the  opinion  may  be,  I  cannot  divest 
myself  of  it,  that  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  at  this 
time  [i  785],  ought  to  be  no  object  with  us.  On  the  contrary, 
until  we  have  a  little  time  allowed  to  open  and  make  easy 
the  ways  between  the  Atlantic  States  and  the  western 
territory,  the  obstructions  had  better  remain." 

He  was  right  in  describing  himself  as  "  singular"  in  his 
views  on  this  matter,  which  was  just  then  exciting  much 
attention. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  13. 

The  Long-expected  Visit  of  Lafayette 

The  long-expected  visit  of  Lafayette  took  place  in  the 
autumn  of  1784,  but  the  Marchioness  was  not  with  him. 
He  arrived  at  Mount  Vernon  on  the  i7th  of  August,  and 
remained  there  twelve  days.  During  that  time  Mount 
Vernon  was  crowded  with  other  guests  who  came  to  meet 
him,  and  when  he  left  for  Baltimore  a  large  cavalcade  of 
Virginia  gentlemen  accompanied  him  on  his  way.  Among 


i8S 


other  offerings  from  Europe  Lafayette  brought  Washington 
a  letter  from  Mesmer,  the  great  charlatan  to  whom  we  owe 
the  word  "mesmerism,"  as  related  to  the  science  which  is 
yet  unexplained.  Washington's  answer  is  amusing,  as 
showing  his  faculty  for  saying  something  when  he  had  to  say 
it  but  had  nothing  to  say. 

"  The  Marquis  of  Lafayette  did  me  the  honor  of  pre- 
senting to  me  your  favor  of  the  i6th  of  June,  and  of  entering 
into  some  explanation  of  the  powers  of  magnetism,  the  dis- 
covery of  which,  if  it  should  prove  as  extensively  beneficial 
as  it  is  said  it  will,  must  be  fortunate  indeed  for  mankind, 
and  redound  very  highly  to  the  honor  of  that  genius  to  whom 
it  owes  its  birth.  For  the  confidence  reposed  in  me  by  the 
society  which  you  have  formed  for  the  purpose  of  diffusing 
all  the  advantages  expected,  and  for  your  favorable  senti- 
ments of  me,  I  pray  you  to  receive  my  gratitude  and  the 
assurances  of  the  respect  and  esteem  with  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  be,  etc.,  etc." 

To  the  Marchioness  Lafayette,  when  her  husband 
returns,  he  writes: 

"The  Marquis  returns  to  you  with  all  the  warmth  and 
ardor  of  a  newly  inspired  lover.  We  restore  him  to  you  in 
good  health,  crowned  with  wreaths  of  love  and  respect  from 
every  part  of  the  Union.  That  his  meeting  with  you,  his 
family,  and  friends,  may  be  propitious,  and  as  happy  as 
your  wishes  can  make  it,  that  you  may  live  long  together, 
revered  and  beloved,  and  that  you  may  transmit  to  a 
numerous  progeny  the  virtues  which  you  both  possess,  is 
the  fervent  wish  of  your  devoted  and  most  respectful 
humble  servant. 

"  N.  B. — In  every  good  wish  for  you,  Mrs.  Washington 
sincerely  joins  me." 

Lafayette  and  his  heirs  male,  were,  by  special  statutes, 
made  citizens  of  Maryland  and  of  Virginia. 

The  Life  of  George  Washington  Si'udied  Anew,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  p.  280. 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Lafayette  Goes   to  See  the  Mother  of  Washington 

In  1784  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  came  back  to 
Virginia  "crowned  everywhere,"  as  Washington  wrote 
to  the  Marchioness  de  Lafayette,  ' '  with  wreaths  of 
love  and  respect."  He  visited  Mount  Vernon,  and 
from  there  he  went  to  Fredericksburg  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  mother  of  Washington,  before  returning  to  France. 
A  multitude  of  citizens  and  soldiers  crowded  into  town 
to  do  him  honor.  One  of  the  old  soldiers  from  the 
country  had  heard  much  of  a  new  character  who  had 
followed  the  armies,  and  had  lately  appeared  in  Virginia — 
active,  prevalent,  and  most  successful.  This  man  was 
bound  to  see  Lafayette,  "pickpocket"  or  no  "pickpocket." 
Had  he  not  hands?  One  should  always  keep  a  firm 
grasp  on  the  watch  in  his  pocket.  He  succeeded,  after 
pushing  through  the  crowd,  in  reaching  the  general.  In  his 
enthusiasm  at  being  greeted  so  warmly  by  the  great  mar- 
quis, he  seized  both  Lafayette's  hands  in  his  own.  The 
nobleman  was  not  to  be  outdone  in  politeness  by 
the  countryman.  After  a  friendly  interview  the  latter 
clapped  his  hand  on  his  exposed  watch-pocket.  It  was 
empty.  Yet  the  honest  fellow  did  not  think  his  honor 
too  dearly  bought. 

After  shaking  hands  with  the  crowds,  an  undertaking 
the  marquis  keenly  enjoyed,  he  found  Washington's  sister 
Betty's  son  ready  to  guide  the  French  nobleman  to  the 
home  oi.  the  mother  of  his  great  friend. 

"  Accompanied  by  her  grandson,"  says  Mr.  Custis,  "  he 
approached  the  house;  when  the  young  gentleman  observed, 
There,  sir,  is  my  grandmother.'  Lafayette  beheld,  working 
in  the  garden,  clad  in  domestic-made  clothes,  and  her  gray 
head  covered  with  a  plain  straw  hat,  the  mother  of  his  hero. 
The  lady  saluted  him  kindly,  observing,  'Ah,  Marquis,  you 
see  an  old  woman ;  but  come ,  I  can  make  you  welcome  to  my 
poor  dwelling  without  the  parade  of  changing  my  dress.' 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"    .      187 

"  The  Marquis  spoke  of  the  happy  effects  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  goodly  prospect  which  opened  upon  indepen- 
dent America;  stated  his  speedy  departure  for  his  native 
land ;  paid  the  tribute  of  his  heart,  his  love  and  admiration 
of  her  illustrious  son.  To  the  encomiums  which  he  had 
lavished  upon  his  hero  and  paternal  chief,  the  matron  replied 
in  her  accustomed  words,  'I  am  not  surprised  at  what  George 
has  done,  for  he  was  always  a  very  good  boy.' 

"  In  her  latter  days,  the  mother  often  spoke  of  'her  own 
good  boy,'  of  the  merits  of  his  early  life,  of  his  love  and  duti- 
fulness  to  herself ;  but  of  the  .deliverer  of  his  country,  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  great  republic,  she  never  spoke. 
Call  you  this  insensibility?  or  want  of  ambition?  Oh, 
no!  her  ambition  had  been  gratified  to  overflowing.  She 
had  taught  him  to  be  good-;  that  he  became  great  when  the 
opportunity  presented,  was  a  consequence,  not  a  cause.  " 
w.  w. 

"  Nothing  Left  but  Obey  " 

During  the  war,  and  indeed  during  her  useful  life,  and 
until  within  three  years  of  her  death,  when  an  afflictive 
disease  prevented  exertion,  the  mother  of  Washington  set  a 
most  valuable  example  in  the  management  of  her  domestic 
concerns,  carrying  her  own  keys,  bustling  in  her  household 
affairs,  providing  for  her  own  wants,  and  living  and  moving 
in  all  the  pride  of  independence.  There  are  some  of  the 
aged  inhabitants  of  Fredericksburg  who  well  remember  the 
matron  as,  seated  in  an  old-fashioned  open  chaise,  she  was 
in  the  habit  of  almost  daily  visiting  her  little  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  town.  When  there,  she  would  ride  about  her 
fields,  giving  her  orders,  and  seeing  that  they  were  obeyed. 
On  one  occasion  an  agent  to  whom  she  had  given  directions 
as  to  a  particular  piece  of  work,  varied  from  his  instructions 
in  its  execution.  The  lady,  whose  coup  d'oeil  was  as  perfect 
in  rural  affairs  as  that  of  her  son  in  war,  pointed  out  the 


1 88  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

error.  The  agent  excused  himself  by  saying,  that  "in  his 
judgment  the  work  was  done  to  more  advantage  than  it 
would  have  been  by  his  first  directions. "  Mrs.  Washington 
replied,  "And  pray,  who  gave  you  any  exercise  of  judgment 
in  the  matter?  I  command  you,  sir;  there  is  nothing  left 
for  you  to  do  but  obey." 

In  a  very  humble  dwelling,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-two,  and  suffering  under  an  excruciating  disease 
(cancer  of  the  breast),  thus  lived  this  mother  of  the  first  of 
men,  preserving  unchanged  her  peculiar  nobleness  and 
independence  of  character.  She  was  continually  visited 
and  solaced  by  her  children  and  numerous  grandchildren, 
particularly  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lewis.  To  the  repeated 
and  earnest  solicitations  of  this  lady,  that  she  would  remove 
to  her  house  and  pass  the  remainder  of  her  days;  to  the 
pressing  entreaties  of  her  son  that  she  would  make  Mount 
Vernon  the  home  of  her  old  age,  the  matron  replied:  "I 
thank  you  for  your  affectionate  and  dutiful  offers,  but  my 
wants  are  few  in  this  world,  and  I  feel  perfectly  confident 
to  take  care  of  myself."  Upon  her  son-in-law,  Colonel 
Fielding  Lewis,  proposing  that  he  should  relieve  her  in  the 
direction  of  her  affairs,  she  observed :  "  Do  you,  Fielding, 
keep  my  books  in  order,  for  your  eyesight  is  better  than 
mine,  but  leave  the  executive  management  to  me.  " 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
P.  139- 

Marriage  Congratulations,  Humorous  but  Hearty 

Washington's  ideas  on  marriage  reflect  his  personal 
experience  as  well  as  his  thoughtful  observation  of  that 
of  others.  To  a  nephew  he  wrote  as  follows  on  this  im- 
portant question: 

"If  Mrs.  Washington  should  survive  me,  there  is  a 
moral  certainty  of  my  dying  without  issue:  and  should 
I  be  the  longest  liver,  the  matter  in  my  opinion,  is  hardly 
less  certain;  for  while  I  retain  the  faculty  of  reasoning,  I 


' 


Engraved  by  H.  U.  Hall  after  Picture  from  Life  by  Robert  Edge  Pine. 

PORTRAIT  OF  WASHINGTON  IN  1785 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          189 

shall  never  marry  a  girl ;  and  it  is  not  probable  that  I  should 
have  children  by  a  woman  of  an  age  suitable  to  my  own, 
should  I  be  disposed  to  enter  into  a  second  marriage." 

In  a  more  jocular  strain  he  wrote  to  the  Marquis  de 
Chastellux : 

I  was,  as  you  may  well  suppose,  not  less  delighted 
than  surprised  to  meet  the  plain  American  words,  'my  wife.' 
A  wife!  Well,  my  dear  Marquis,  I  can  hardly  refrain  from 
smiling  to  find  you  are  caught  at  last.  I  saw,  by  the  eulo- 
gium  you  often  made  on  the  happiness  of  domestic  life  in 
America,  that  you  had  swallowed  the  bait,  and  that  you 
would  as  surely  be  taken,  one  day  or  another,  as  that  you 
were  a  philosopher  and  a  soldier.  So  your  day  has  at  length 
come!  I  am  glad  of  it,  with  all  my  heart  and  soul.  It 
is  quite  good  enough  for  you.  Now  you  are  well  served 
for  coming  to  fight  in  favor  of  the  American  rebels,  all  the 
way  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  by  catching  that  terrible 
contagion — domestic  felicity — which  same,  like  the  small- 
pox or  the  plague,  a  man  can  have  only  once  in  his  life; 
because  it  commonly  lasts  him  (at  least  with  us  in  America — 
I  don't  know  how  you  manage  these  matters  in  France) 
for  his  whole  life  time.  And  yet  after  all  these  malsdictions 
you  so  richly  merit  on  the  subject,  the  worst  wish  which  I 
can  find  in  my  heart  to  make  against  Madame  de  Chastellux 
and  yourself  is,  that  you  may  neither  of  you  ever  get  the 
better  of  this  same  domestic  felicity  during  the  entire  course 
of  your  mortal  existence." 
w.  w. 

"  Standing  at  My  Bedside  with  a  Bowl  of  Hot  Tea" 

An  observant  traveler,  Mr.  Elkanah  Watson,  who 
visited  Mount  Vernon  in  the  winter  of.  1785,  bearer  of  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  General  Greene  and  Colonel 
Fitzgerald,  gives  a  home  picture  of  Washington  in  his 
retirement.  Though  sure  that  his  credentials  would  secure 
him  a  respectful  reception,  he  says:  "I  trembled  with 


ipo  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

awe,  as  I  came  into  the  presence  of  this  great  man.  I 
found  him  at  table  with  Mrs.  Washington  and  his  private 
family,  and  was  received  in  the  native  dignity,  and  with  that 
urbanity  so  peculiarly  combined  in  the  character  of  a  soldier 
and  an  eminent  private  gentleman.  He  soon  put  me  at  my 
ease,  by  unbending,  in  a  free  and  affable  conversation." 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Watson  sat  conversing  for  a  full 
hour  with  Washington  after  all  the  family  had  retired, 
expecting,  perhaps,  to'  hear  him  fight  over  some  of  his  bat- 
tles; but,  if  so,  he  was  disappointed,  for  he  observes:  "  He 
modestly  waived  all  allusions  to  the  events  in  which  he  had 
acted  so  glorious  and  conspicuous  a  part.  Much  of  his  con- 
versation had  reference  to  the  interior  country,  and  to  the 
opening  of  the  navigation  of  the  Potomac  by  canals  and  locks, 
at  the  Seneca,  the  Great  and  Little  Falls.  His  mind 
appeared  to  be  deeply  absorbed  by  that  object,  then  in 
earnest  contemplation. ' ' 

Mr.  Watson  had  taken  a  severe  cold  in  the  course  of  a 
harsh  winter  journey,  and  coughed  excessively.  Wash- 
ington pressed  him  to  take  some  remedies,  but  he  declined. 
After  retiring  for  the  night  his  coughing  increased.  "  When 
some  time  had  elapsed,"  writes  he,  "the  door  of  my  room 
was  gently  opened,  and,  on  drawing  my  bed  curtains,  I 
beheld  Washington  himself,  standing  at  my  bedside  with  a 
bowl  of  hot  tea  in  his  hand.  I  was  mortified  and  distressed 
beyond  expression.  This  little  incident  occurring  in 
common  life  with  an  ordinary  man,  would  not  have  been 
noticed ;  but  as  a  trait  of  the  benevolence  and  private  virtue 
of  Washington,  deserves  to  be  recorded.  " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  534. 

The  General  "  Parted  with  "  His  Pack! 

Although  somewhat  faded  was  the  huntsman's  bravery 
of  blue  and  scarlet  worn  in  the  gala-days  of  yore,  the  man 
inside  of  it  sat  with  the  old  ease  upon  his  fiery  Blueskin — 
Will  Lee,  on  "Chinkling, "  closely  following.  These  two 


"THE  CINCINJ^ATUS  OF  THE  WEST"          191 

rode  straight  forward,  over  brake  and  brier,  from  sunrise, 
when  the  gray  fox  of  Virginia  was  unkenneled,  till— -no 
matter  what  hour — the  fate  of  her  ladyship  was  settled,  and 
her  followers  drew  rein  before  one  house  or  the  other  of  her 
belongings,  to  seek  pot-luck.  Custis  said  that  Washington 
required  of  a  horse  "but  one  good  quality,  and  that  was  to 
go  along.  He  ridiculed  the  idea  that  he  could  be  unhorsed, 
provided  the  animal  kept  on  his  legs?" 

The  hounds  used  in  these  latter  days  of  chase  were  a 
pack  sent,  in  1785,  to  Mount  Vernon  by  Lafayette.  A  fierce, 
big-mouthed,  savage  breed,  absolutely  disproportioned  to 
their  prey,  were  the  French  dogs,  built  to  grapple  with  the 
stag  in  his  death-agony,  or  with  the  maddened  boar.  Mrs. 
Washington  never  fancied  having  such  monsters  near  the 
house,  and  after  one  of  them,  Vulcan  by  name,  was  discovered 
in  the  act  of  carrying  off  a  ham,  just  out  of  the  oven,  their  reign 
was  short.  The  General  soon  after  ''  parted  with ' '  his  pack! 

Washington  at  Mount   Vernon,  after  the  Revolution,  Constance  Gary  Harrison,   The 
Century  Magazine,  New  Series,  Vol.  XV,  April,  1889,  p.  835. 

Last  Days  of  Nelson,  the  War  Horse 

One  ceremony  of  his  daily  round — for,  rain,  or  shine, 
he  made  the  circuit  of  his  farms,  between  twelve  and  fifteen 
miles — was,  in  season,  never  omitted  by  the  chief.  It  was 
to  lean  over  the  fence  around  the  field  wherein  a  tall,  old 
sorrel  horse,  with  white  face  and  legs,  was  grazing  luxuri- 
ously in  the  richest  grass  and  clover  Mount  Vernon  could 
afford.  At  the  sight  of  him  the  old  steed  would  prick  up 
his  ears  and  run  neighing  to  arch  his  neck  beneath  his  mas- 
ter's hand.  This  was  Nelson,  the  war-horse  upon  whose 
back,  at  Yorktown,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  American 
armies  had  received  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis. 
The  war  ended,  Nelson's  work  was  over.  Turned  out  to  graze 
in  summer,  in  winter  carefully  groomed  and  stabled,  he  lived 
to  a  good  old  age,  but  by  his  master's  strict  command  was 
never  again  allowed  to  feel  the  burden  of  a  saddle. 

Washington  at  Mount  Vernon,  after  the  Revolution,  Constance   Can'   Harrison,    The 
Century  Magazine,  New  Series.  Vol.  XV,  April,  1889,  p.  840. 


1 92  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Head  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati 

Then  there  were  the  artists  and  sculptors,  who  came 
to  paint  his  portrait  or  model  his  bust. 

"  In  for  a  penny,  in  for  a  pound  is  an  old  adage, ' '  he 
wrote  to  Hopkinson  in  1785.  "I  am  so  hackneyed  to  the 
touches  of  painters'  pencils  that  I  am  now  altogether  at 
their  beck,  and  sit  'like  patience  on  a  monument,'  whilst 
they  are  delineating  the  lines  of  my  face.  It  is  a  proof, 
among  many  others,  of  what  habit  and  custom  can  accom- 
plish." 

Then  there  were  the  people  who  desired  to  write  his 
memoirs,  and  the  historians  who  wished  to  have  his  rem- 
iniscences, in  their  accounts  of  the  Revolution.  Some  of 
these  admiring  and  inquiring  souls  came  in  person,  while 
others  assailed  him  by  letter  and  added  to  the  vast  flood 
of  correspondence  which  poured  in  upon  him  by  every 
post.  His  correspondence,  in  fact,  in  the  needless  part  of 
it,  was  the  most  formidable  waste  of  his  time.  He  seems 
to  have  formed  no  correct  idea  of  his  own  fame  and  what  it 
meant,  for  he  did  not  have  a  secretary  until  he  found  not 
only  that  he  could  not  arrange  his  immense  mass  of  papers, 
but  that  he  could  not  even  keep  up  with  his  daily  letters. 
His  correspondence  came  from  all  parts  of  his  own  country, 
and  of  Europe  as  well.  The  French  officers  who  had  been 
his  companions  in  arms  wrote  him  with  affectionate  interest, 
and  he  was  urged  by  them,  one  and  all,  and  even  by  the 
king  and  queen,  to  visit  France.  These  were  letters  which 
he  was  only  too  happy  to  answer,  and  he  would  fain  have 
crossed  the  water  in  response  to  their  kindly  invitation; 
but  he  professed  himself  too  old,  which  was  a  mere  excuse, 
and  objected  his  ignorance  of  the  language,  which  to  a  man 
of  his  temperament  was  a  real  obstacle.  Besides  these 
letters  of  friendship,  there  were  schemers  everywhere  who 
sought  his  counsel  and  assistance.  The  notorious  Lady 
Huntington,  for  example,  pursued  him  with  her  project 
of  Christianizing  the  Indians  by  means  of  a  missionary 


"THE  CINCINNATUS  OF  THE  WEST"  193 

colony  in  our  western  region,  and  her  persistent  ladyship 
cost  him  a  good  deal  of  time  and  thought,  and  some  long  and 
careful  letters.  Then  there  was  the  inventor  Rumsey,  with 
his  steamboat,  to  which  he  gave  careful  attention,  as  he  did 
to  everything  that  seemed  to  have  merit.  Another  class 
of  correspondents  were  his  officers,  who  wanted  his  aid  with 
Congress  and  in  a  thousand  other  ways,  and  to  these  old 
comrades  he  never  turned  a  deaf  ear.  In  this  connection 
also  came  the  affairs  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  formation  of  the  society,  he  became 
its  head,  and  he  steered  it  through  its  early  difficulties,  and 
saved  it  from  the  wreck  with c  which  it  was  threatened  by 
unreasoning  popular  prejudice.  All  these  things  were  suc- 
cessfully managed ;  but  at  much  expense  of  time  and  labor. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  3. 

His  Strong  Affection  for  Mount  Vernon 

A  visitor  to  Mount  Vernon  in  1785  states  that  his  host's 
"  greatest  pride  is,  to  be  thought  the  first  farmer  in  America.  - 
He  is  quite  a  Cincinnatus. " 

Undoubtedly  a  part  of  this  liking  flowed  from  his  strong 
affection  for  Mount  Vernon.  Such  was  his  feeling  for  the 
place  that  he  never  seems  to  have  been  entirely  happy  away 
from  it,  and  over  and  over  again,  during  his  enforced 
absences,  he  "sighs"  or  "pants"  for  his  "own  vine  and  fig- 
tree."  In  writing  to  an  English  correspondent,  he  shows 
his  feeling  for  the  place  by  saying,  "No  estate  in  United 
America,  is  more  pleasantly  situated  than  this.  It  lies  in 
a  high,  dry  and  healthy  country,  three  hundred  miles  by 
water  from  the  sea,  and,  as  you  will  see  by  the  plan,  on  one 
of  the  finest  rivers  in  the  world. " 

The  history  of  the  Mount  Vernon  estate  begins  in  1674, 
when  Lord  Culpeper  conveyed  to  Nicholas  Spencer  and 
Lieutenant-colonel  John  Washington  five  thousand  acres 
of  land  "scytuate  Lying  and  being  within  the  said  terry  - 
tory  in  the  County  of  Stafford  in  the  ffreshes  of  the  Potto- 


i94  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

mocke  River  and  .  .  .  bounded  betwixt  two  Creeks. " 
Colonel  John's  half  was  bequeathed  to  his  son  Lawrence,  and 
by  Lawrence's  will  it  was  left  to  his  daughter  Mildred.  She 
sold  it  to  the  father  of  George,  who  by  his  will  left  it  to  his 
son  Lawrence,  with  a  reversion  to  George  should  Lawrence 
die  without  issue.  The  original  house  was  built  about 
1740,  and  the  place  was  named  Mount  Vernon  by  Lawrence, 
in  honor  of  Admiral  Vernon,  under  whom  he  had  served  at 
Carthagena.  After  the  death  of  Lawrence,  the  estate  of 
twenty-five  hundred  acres  came  under  Washington's  manage- 
ment, and  from  1754  it  was  his  home,  as  it  had  been  prac- 
tically even  in  his  brother's  life. 

Twice  Washington  materially  enlarged  the  house  at 
Mount  Vernon,  the  first  time  in  1760  and  the  second  in 
1785,  and  a  visitor  reports,  that  "it's  a  pity  he  did  not  build 
a  new  one  at  once,  for  it  has  cost  him  nearly  as  much  to 
repair  his  old  one."  These  alterations  consisted  in  the 
addition  of  a  banquet-hall  at  one  end  (by  far  the  finest  room 
in  the  house),  and  a  library  and  dining-room  at  the  other, 
with  the  addition  of  an  entire  story  to  the  whole. 

The  grounds,  too,  were  very  much  improved.  A  fine 
approach,  or  bowling  green,  was  laid  out,  a  "botanical 
garden,"  a  "shrubbery,"  and  greenhouses  were  added,  and 
in  every  way  possible  the  place  was  improved.  A  deer 
paddock  was  laid  out  and  stocked,  gifts  of  Chinese  pheasants 
and  geese,  French  partridges,  and  guinea-pigs  were  sent 
him,  and  were  gratefully  acknowledged,  and  from  all  the 
world  over  came  curious,  useful,  or  beautiful  plants. 

The  Trite  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  113. 

"Four  Dollars  to  Be  Drunk  Four  Days  and  Four  Nights" 

All  the  busy  life  of  the  negro  world  was  regulated  by  his 
personal  directions  to  overseers  and  bailiffs.  No  item  was 
too  insignificanj  to  bring  to  his  notice,  the  minutest  contract 
for  work  agreed  upon  was  put  "into  writing.  How  curious, 
for  example,  the  agreement  with  Philip  Barter,  the  gardener, 


"THE  CINCittNATUS  Of  THE  WEST"          195 

found  among  Washington's  papers,  wherein  Philip  binds 
himself  to  keep  sober  for  a  year,  and  to  fulfill  his  duties  on 
the  place,  if  allowed  "  four  dollars  at  Christmas,  with  which 
to  be  drunk  four  days  and  four  nights ;  two  dollars  at  Easter, 
to  effect  the  same  purpose;  two  dollars  at  Whitsuntide,  to 
be  drunk  for  two  days,  a  dram  in  the  morning,  and  a  drink 
of  grog  at  dinner,  at  noon.  For  the  true  and  faithful  per- 
formance of  all  these  things, the  parties  have  hereunto  set  their 
hands,  this  twenty-third  day  of  April,  Anno  Domini,  1787. 

his 
"PHILIP  BARTER          X 

mark 

"GEORGE  WASHINGTON" 
"  Witness : 

"George  A.  Washington, 
"Tobias  Lear." 

Washington  at  Mount   Vernon,  after  the  Revolution,  Constance  Gary  Harrison,   The 
Century  Magazine,  New  Series,  Vol.  XV,  April,  1889,  p.  838. 

The  Name  of  Washington 

Where  may  the  wearied  eye  repose 

When  gazing  on  the  great. 
Where  neither  guilty  glory  glows 

Nor  despicable  state  ? 
Yes, — one,  the  first,  the  last,  the  best, 
The  Cincinnatus  of  the  West, 

Whom  envy  dared  not  hate, 
Bequeathed  the  name  of  Washington 
To  make  men  blush  there  was  but  one. 

Ode   to   Napoleon   Bonaparte,  Poetry  of  Byron,  Chosen  and  Arranged  by  Matthew 
Arnold,  p.  56. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES 
Without  a  Single  Hoop  to  Hold  Us  Together 

But  though  America  had  won  her  independence,  she 
had  not  secured  harmony  and  union.  While  the  war  lasted 
the  States  fought  like  brothers,  side  by  side ;  now  that  the 
danger  was  over,  they  threatened  to  fall  apart.  We  were 
like  a  barrel  made  of  thirteen  stout  staves,  but  yet  without 
a  single  hoop  to  hold  us  together.  Under  the  Articles  of 
Federation  or  Constitution  adopted  in  1781,  the  nation  had 
no  President — no  head.  It  had  only  a  Congress,  and  that 
Congress  was  destitute  of  power.  It  might  pass  good  and 
useful  laws,  but  it  could  not  compel  the  people  to  obey  them. 
It  might  beg  the  people  to  give  money,  but  it  could  not  make 
them  furnish  it.  It  might  ask  for  soldiers  to  defend  the 
country,  but  it  could  not  draft  them. 

The  truth  is,  that  the  people  had  come  out  of  the  war 
in  a  distressed  condition.  They  were  heavily  in  debt. 
Business  was  at  a  standstill.  Gold  and  silver  coin  was 
scarce.  The  States  had  an  abundance  of  paper  stuff  which 
pretended  to  be  money,  but  nobody  knew  what  it  was  worth, 
and  what  passed  for  a  dollar  in  one  State  might  riot  pass 
at  all  in  another.  Distress  and  discontent  grew  worse  and 
worse.  The  States  quarreled  with  each  other  about  bound- 
ary lines,  about  commerce,  about  trade.  Instead  of  being 
a  united  and  friendly  people,  they  were  fast  getting  to  be 
thirteen  hostile  nations  ready  to  draw  the  sword  against 
each  other. 

This  feeling  was  shown  in  the  fact  that  a  man  could 
not  buy  and  sell  freely  outside  of  his  own  State.  If,  for 
instance,  a  farmer  in  New  Jersey  took  a  load  of  potatoes  to 

(196) 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     197 

I 

New  York,  he  might  have  to  pay  a  tax  of  five  or  ten  cents 
a  bushel  to  that  State  before  he  could  offer  them  for  sale. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  a  New  York  merchant  sent  a  case  of 
boots  to  New  Jersey  to  sell  to  the  farmers,  that  State  might, 
if  it  chose,  tax  him  ten  cents  a  pair  before  he  could  get  a 
permit  to  dispose  of  his  goods. 

The  Leading  Facts  of  American  History,  D.  H.  Montgomery,  p.  189. 

"Let  Us  Know  the  Worst  at  Once  " 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  ease  and  certainty  with 
which,  in  dealing  with  the  central  question,  he  grasped  all 
phases  of  the  subject  and  judged  of  the  effect  of  the  existing 
weakness  with  regard  to  every  relation  of  the  country  and 
to  the  politics  of  each  State.  He  pointed  out  again  and  again 
the  manner  in  which  we  were  exposed  to  foreign  hostility, 
and  analyzed  the  designs  of  England,  rightly  detecting  a 
settled  policy  on  her  part  to  injure  and  divide  where  she 
failed  to  conquer.  Others  were  blind  to  the  meaning  of  the 
English  attitude  as  to  the  western  posts,  commerce,  and 
international  relations.  Washington  brought  it  to  the 
attention  of  our  leading  men,  educating  them  on  this  as 
on  other  points,  and  showing  too,  the  stupidity  of  Great 
Britain  in  her  attempt  to  belittle  the  trade  of  a  country  which, 
as  he  wrote  Lafayette  in  prophetic  vein,  would  one  day 
"have  Weight  in  the  scale  of  empires." 

He  followed  with  the  same  care  the  course  of  events 
in  tne  several  States.  In  them  all  he  resisted  the  craze  for 
issuing  irredeemable  paper  money,  writing  to  his  various 
correspondents,  and  urging  energetic  opposition  to  this 
specious  and  pernicious  form  of  public  dishonesty.  It  was 
to  Massachusetts,  however,  that  his  attention  was  most 
strongly  attracted  by  the  social  disorders  which  culminated 
in  the  Shays  rebellion.  There  the  miserable  condition  of 
public  affairs  was  bearing  bitter  fruit,  and  Washington 
watched  the  progress  of  the  troubles  with  profound  anxiety. 
He  wrote  to  Lee : 


i98  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"You  talk,  my  good  sir,  of  employing  influence  to 
appease  the  present  tumults  in  Massachusetts.  I  know 
not  where  that  influence  is  to  be  found,  or,  if  attainable, 
that  it  would  be  a  proper  remedy  for  the  disorders.  In- 
fluence is  not  government.  Let  us  have  a  government  by 
which  our  lives,  liberties,  and  properties  will  be  secured, 
or  let  us  know  the  worst  at  once." 

Through  "all  this  mist  of  intoxication  and  folly," 
however,  Washington  saw  that  the  Shays  insurrection 
would  probably  be  the  means  of  frightening  the  indifferent, 
and  of  driving  those  who  seemed  impervious  to  every 
appeal  to  reason  into  an  active  support  of  some  better  form 
of  government.  He  rightly  thought  that  a  riot  and  blood- 
shed-would prove  convincing  arguments. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  23. 

Washington's  Word  Was  Law 

v  Washington's  personal  influence  was  very  great,  some- 
thing we  of  this  generation  with  a  vast  territory  and  sixty 
millions  of  people,  cannot  readily  understand.  To  many 
persons  his  word  was  law;  to  all  that  was  best  in  the  com- 
munity, everything  he  said  had  immense  weight.  This 
influence  he  used  with  care  and  without  waste.  Every 
blow  he  struck  went  home.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  just 
how  much  he  effected,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  is  to  Wash- 
ington, aided  first  by  Hamilton  and  then  by  Madison,  that 
we  owe  the  development  of  public  opinion  and  the  forma- 
tion of  the  party  which  devised  and  carried  the  Constitution. 
Events  of  course  worked  with  them,  but  they  used  events, 
and  did  not  suffer  the  golden  opportunities,  which  without 
them  would  have  been  lost,  to  slip  by. 

When  Washington  wrote  of  the  Shays  rebellion  to  Lee, 
the  movement  toward  a  better  union,  which  he  had  begun, 
was  on  the  brink  of  success.  That  ill-starred  insurrection 
became,  as  he  foresaw,  a  powerful  spur  to  the  policy  started 
at  Mount  Vernon,  and  adopted  by  Virginia  and  Maryland. 


Robert  Morris 


Thomas  Jefferson  John  Adams 

THREE  PILLARS  OF  THE  NEW  REPUBLIC 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     199 

From  this. had  come  the  Annapolis  convention,  and  thence 
the  call  for  another  convention  at  Philadelphia.  As  soon 
as  the  word  went  abroad  that  a  general  convention  was  to 
be  held,  the  demand  for  Washington  as  a  delegate  was 
heard  on  all  sides.  At  first  he  shrank  from  it.  Despite  the 
work  which  he  had  been  doing,  and  which  he.  must  have 
known  would  bring  him  once  more  into  public  service,  he 
clung  to  the  vision  of  home  life  which  he  had  brought  with 
him  from  the  army.  November  18,  1786,  he  wrote  to  Madi- 
son, that  from  a  sense  of  obligation  he  should  go  to  the  con- 
vention, were  it  not  that  he  had  declined  on  account  of  his 
retirement,  age,  and  rheumatism,  to  be  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Cincinnati  at  the  same  time  and  place.  But  no  one  heeded 
him,  and  Virginia  elected  him  unanimously  to  head  her  dele- 
gation at  Philadelphia.  He  wrote  to  Governor  Randolph, 
acknowledging  the  honor,  but  reiterating  what  he  had  said 
to  Madison,  and  urging  the  choice  of  some  one  else  in  his 
place.  Still  Virginia  held  the  question  open,  and  on  February 
3d  he  wrote  to  Knox  that  his  private  intention  was  not  to 
attend.  The  pressure  continued,  and,  as  usual  when  the 
struggle  drew  near,  the  love  of  battle  and  the  sense  of  duty 
began  to  reassert  themselves.  March  8th  he  again  wrote  to 
Knox  that  he  had  not  meant  to  come,  but  that  the  question 
had  occurred  to  him,  "  Whether  my  non-attendance  in  the 
convention  will  not  be  considered  as  dereliction  of  repub- 
licanism; nay,  more,  whether  other  motives  may  not,  how- 
ever injuriously,  be  ascribed  for  my  not  exerting  myself  on 
this  occasion  in  support  of  it";  and  therefore  he  wished  to 
be  informed  as  to  the  public  expectation  on  the  matter.  On 
March  28th  he  wrote  again  to  Randolph  that  ill  health  might 
prevent  his  going,  and  therefore  it  would  be  well  to  appoint 
some  one  in  his  place.  April  3d  he  said  that  if  representation 
of  the  States  was  to  be  partial,  or  powers  cramped,  he  did 
not  want  to  be  a  sharer  in  the  business.  "  If  the  delegates 
assemble,"  he  wrote,  "with  such  powers  as  will  enable  the 
convention  to  probe  the  defects  of  the  Constitution  to  the 


200  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

bottom  and  point  out  radical  cures,  it  would  be  an  honorable 
employment;  otherwise  not. "  This  idea  of  inefficiency  and 
failure  in  the  convention  had  long  been  present  to  his  mind, 
and  he  had  already  said  that  if  their  powers  were  insufficient, 
the  convention  should  go  boldly  over  and  beyond,  and  make 
a  government  with  the  means  of  coercion,  and  able  to  enforce 
obedience,  without  which  it  would  be,  in  his  opinion,  quite 
worthless.  Thus  he  pondered  on  the  difficulties,  and  held 
back  his  acceptance  of  the  post ;  but  when  the  hour  of  action 
drew  near,  the  rheumatism  and  the  misgivings  alike  dis- 
appeared before  the  inevitable,  and  Washington  arrived 
in  Philadelphia,  punctual  as  usual,  on  May  i3th,  the  day 
before  the  opening  of  the  convention. 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  28. 

"Thirteen  Sovereignties  Pulling  against  Each  Other !" 

To  Madison  he  wrote:  "How  melancholy  is  the 
reflection  that  in  so  short  a  time  we  should  have  made  such 
large  strides  towards  fulfilling  the  predictions  of  our  trans- 
Atlantic  foes !  'Leave  them  to  themselves,  and  their  governr 
ment  will  soon  dissolve.'  Will  not  the  wise  and  good  strive 
hard  to  avert  this  evil?  Or  will  their  supineness  suffer 
ignorance  and  the  arts  of  self-interested  and  designing, 
disaffected  and  desperate  characters,  to  involve  this  great 
country  in  wretchedness  and  contempt?  What  stronger 
evidence  can  be  given  of  the  want  of  energy  in  our  govern- 
ment than  these  disorders?  If  there  is  not  power  in  it  to 
check  them,  what  security  has  a  man  for  life,  liberty  or 
property?  To  you,  I  am  sure  I  need  not  add  aught  on  the 
subject.  The  consequences  of  a  lax  or  inefficient  government 
are  too  obvious  to  be  dwelt  upon.  Thirteen  sovereignties 
pulling  against  each  other,  and  all  tugging  at  the  federal 
head,  will  soon  bring  ruin  on  the  whole;  whereas,  a  liberal 
and  energetic  constitution,  well  checked  and  well  watched, 
to  prevent  encroachments,  might  restore  us  to  that  degree 
of  respectability  and  consequence  to  which  we  had  the 
fairest  prospect  of  attaining." 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     201 

Great  as  Washington  was,  he  occasionally  made  mis- 
takes, and  one  of  these  was,  that  the  people  had  forgotten 
him.  Ambitious  politicians  let  him  alone,  for  there  was 
no  hope  for  them  if  he  was  prominent;  some  unselfish 
patriots  thought  he  had  enjoyed  as  much  honor  and  power 
as  any  man  could  safely  be  trusted  with,  but  all  these 
together  were  but  a  handful  to  the  mass  who  believed  little 
in  theories  but  much  in  men.  The  sentiments  of  these  were 
clearly  expressed  when  Col.  Humphreys,  once  his  aide-de- 
camp, wrote :  "  In  case  of  civil  discord,  I  have  already 
told  you  it  was  seriously  my  opinion  that  you  could  not 
remain  neuter,  and  that  you  would  be  obliged,  in  self-defense, 
to  take  one  part  or  the  other,  or  withdraw  from  the  con- 
tinent. Your  friends  are  of  the  same  opinion. " 

It  may  be  safely  assumed  that  Washington  had  no 
intention  of  withdrawing  from  the  continent,  and  that 
Humphreys'  opinion  braced  his  spirits  and  comforted  the 
wounds  of  his  self-esteem.  Another  evidence  of  the  public 
regard  was  soon  tendered  him;  a  convention,  afterward 
known  as  the  Constitutional  Convention,  had  been  arranged 
for,  each  State  to  send  delegates  to  consult  upon  the  defects 
of  the  federal  system,  and  to  suggest  improvements,  the 
suggestions  to  be  forwarded  to  Congress  and  the  State 
governments  for  such  further  action  as  might  be  advisable. 
Washington  was,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  put  at  the  head  of 
the  Virginia  delegation,  and  when  enough  delegates  had 
assembled  at  Philadelphia  to  form  a  quorum,  they,  by 
unanimous  vote,  made  Washington  the  permanent  chairman 
of  the  convention. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  169. 

The  Patient  President  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 

When  a  quorum  was  finally  obtained,  Washington  was 
unanimously  chosen  to  preside  over  the  convention;  and 
there  he  sat  during  the  sessions  of  four  months,  silent, 
patient,  except  on  a  single  occasion,  taking  no  part  in  de- 


2o2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

bate,  but  guiding  the  business,  and  using  all  his  powers 
with  steady  persistence  to  compass  the  great  end.  The 
debates  of  that  remarkable  body  have  been  preserved  in 
outline  in  the  full  and  careful  notes  of  Madison.  Its  history 
has  been  elaborately  written,  and  the  arguments  and  opin- 
ions of  its  members  have  been  minutely  examined  and 
unsparingly  criticised.  We  are  still  ignorant,  and  shall 
always  remain  ignorant,  of  just  how  much  was  due  Washing- 
ton for  the  final  completion  of  the  work.  His  general  views 
and  his  line  of  action  are  clearly  to  be  seen  in  his  letters  and 
in  the  words  attributed  to  him  by  Morris.  That  he  labored 
day  and  night  for  success  we  know,  and  that  his  influence 
with  his  fellow-members  was  vast  we  also  know,  but  the  rest 
we  can  only  conjecture.  There  came  a  time  when  every- 
thing was  at  a  standstill,  and  when  it  looked  as  if  no  agree- 
ment could  be  reached  by  the  men  representing  so  many 
conflicting  interests.  Hamilton  had  made  his  great  speech 
and,  finding  the  vote  of  his  State  cast  against  him  by  his  two 
colleagues  on  every  question,  had  gone  home  in  a  frame  of 
mind  which  we  may  easily  believe  was  neither  very  con- 
tented nor  very  sanguine.  Even  Franklin,  most  hopeful 
and  buoyant  of  men,  was  nearly  ready  to  despair.  Wash- 
ington  himself  wrote  to  Hamilton,  on  July  loth: 

"  When  I  refer  you  to  the  state  of  the  counsels  which 
prevailed  at  the  period  you  left  this  city,  and  add  that  they 
are  now,  if  possible,  in  a  worse  train  than  ever,  you  will  find 
but  little  ground  on  which  the  hope  of  a  good  establishment 
can  be  formed.  In  a  word,  I  almost  despair  of  seeing  a 
favorable  issue  to  the  proceedings  of  our  convention,  and  do 
therefore  repent  having  had  any  agency  in  the  business." 

Matters  were  certainly  in  a  bad  state  when  Washington 
could  write  in  this  strain,  and  when  his  passion  for  success 
was  so  cooled  that  he  repented  of  agency  in  the  business. 
There  was  much  virtue,  however,  in  that  little  word  "almost". " 
He  did  not  quite  despair  yet,  and,  after  his  fashion,  he  held 
on  with  grim  tenacity.  We  know  what  the  compromises 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     203 

finally  were,  and  how  they  were  brought  about,  but  we  can 
never  do  exact  justice  to  the  iron  will  which  held  men  to- 
gether when  all  compromises  seemed  impossible,  and  which 
even  in  the  darkest  hour  would  not  wholly  despair.  All 
that  can  be  said  is,  that  without  the  influence  and  the  labors 
of  Washington  the  convention  of  1787,  in  all  probability, 
would  have  failed  of  success. 

At  all  events  it  did  not  fail,  and  after  much  tribulation 
the  work  was  done.  On  September  17,  1787,  a  day  ever  to 
be  memorable,  Washington  affixed  his  bold  and  handsome 
signature  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  Tradi- 
tion has  it  that  as  he  stood  by  the  table,  pen  in  hand,  he  said : 

"  Should  the  States  reject  this  excellent  Constitution, 
the  probability  is  that  opportunity  will  never  be  offered  to 
cancel  another  in  peace ;  the  next  will  be  drawn  in  blood. " 

Whether  the  tradition  is  well  or  ill  founded,  the  sen- 
tence has  the  ring  of  truth.  A  great  work  had  been  accom- 
plished. If  it  were  cast  asicle,  Washington  knew  that  the 
sword  and  not  the  pen  would  make  the  next  Constitution  and 
he  regarded  that  awful  alternative  with  dread.  He  signed 
first  and  was  followed  by  all  the  members  present,  with 
three  notable  exceptions.  Then  the  delegates  dined  together 
at  the  city  tavern,  and  took  a  cordial  leave  of  each  other. 

"After  which,"  the  president  of  the  convention  wrote 
in  his  diary,  "  I  returned  to  my  lodgings,  did  some  business 
with,  and  received  some  papers  from,  the  secretary  of  the 
convention,  and  retired  to  meditate  upon  the  momentous 
work  which  had  been  executed. " 

George  Washington,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Vol.  II,  p.  33. 

"I  Almost  Despair  of  Seeing  a  Favorable  Issue" 

(The  whole  letter  to  Alexander  Hamilton) , 

"PHILADELPHIA,  10  July,  1787. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  communication  of  the  3d.  When 
I  refer  you  to  the  state  of  the  counsels,  which  prevailed  at 


204  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  period  you  left  this  city,  and  add  that  they  are  now  if 
possible  in  a  worse  train  than  ever,  you  will  find  but  little 
ground  on  which  the  hope  of  a  good  establishment  can  be 
formed.  In  a  word,  I  almost  despair  of  seeing  a  favorable 
issue  to  the  proceedings  of  our  convention,  and  do  therefore 
repent  having  had  any  agency  in  the  business. 

"•The  men,  who  oppose  a  strong  and  energetic  govern- 
ment, are  in  my  opinion  narrow-minded  politicians,  or  are 
under  the  influence  of  local  views.  The  apprehension  ex- 
pressed by  them,  that  the  people  will  not  accede  to  the  form 
proposed,  is  the  ostensible,  not  the  real  cause  of  opposition. 
But,  admitting  that  the  present  sentiment  is  as  they  prog- 
nosticate, the  proper  question  ought  nevertheless  to  be, 
Is  it,  or  is  it  not,  the  best  form  such  a  country  as  this. can 
adopt?  If  it  be  the  best  recommend  it,  and  it  will  assuredly 
obtain,  maugre  opposition.  I  am  sorry  you  went  away.  I 
wish  you  were  back.  The  crisis  is  equally  important  and 
alarming,  and  no  opposition,  under  such  circumstances, 
should  discourage  exertions  till  the  signature  is  offered.  I 
will  not  at  this  time  trouble  you  with  more  than  my  best 
wishes  and  sincere  regard. 

"  I  am,  dear  Sir, "  &c., 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  280. 

"Little  Short  of  a  Miracle !" 

"  It  appears  to  me  little  short  of  a  miracle  that  the  dele- 
gates from  so  many  States,  different  from  each,  other,  as 
you  know,  in  their  manners,  circumstances  and  prejudices, 
should  unite  in  forming  a  system  of  national  government  so 
little  liable  to  well-founded  objections.  Nor  am  I  such  an 
enthusiastic,  partial,  or  undiscriminating  admirer  of  it, 
as  not  to  perceive  it  is  tinctured  with  some  real,  though  not 
radical  defects.  With  regard  to  the  two  great  points,  the 
pivots  upon  which  the  whole  machine  must  move,  my  creed 
is  simply,  First,  that  the  general  government  is  not  invested 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     205 

with  more  powers  than  are  indispensably  necessary  to  per- 
form the  functions  of  a  good  government ;  and  consequently, 
that  no  objection  ought  to  be  made  against  the  quantity  of 
power  delegated  to  it. 

"  Secondly  that  these  powers,  as  the  appointment  of  all 
rulers  will  forever  arise  from,  and  at  short  stated  intervals 
recur  to,  the  free  suffrages  of  the  people,  are  so  distributed 
among  the  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial  branches  into 
which  the  general  government  is  arranged,  that  it  can  never 
be  in  danger  of  degenerating  into  a  monarchy,  an  oligarchy, 
an  aristocracy,  or  any  other  despotic  or  oppressive  form, 
so  long  as  there  shall  remain  any  virtue  in  the  body  of  the 
people. 

"  It  will  at  least  be  a  recommendation  to  the  proposed 
Constitution,  that  it  is  provided  with  more  checks  and 
barriers  against  the  introduction  of  tyranny,  and  those  of  a 
nature  less  liable  to  be  surmounted,  than  any  government 
hitherto  instituted  among  mortals. 

"  We  are  not  to  expect  perfection  in  this  world ;  but 
mankind,  in  modern  times,  have  apparently  made  some 
progress  in  the  science  of  government.  Should  that  which 
is  now  offered  to  the  people  of  America  be  found  on  experi- 
ment less  perfect  than  it  can  be  made,  a  constitutional  door 
is  left-  open  for  its  amelioration." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  270. 

"The  Best  That  Could  Be  Obtained" 

(Letter  to  Patrick  Henry}. 

"  MOUNT  VERNON,  24  SEPTEMBER,  1787. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  In  the  first  moment  after  my  return,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  Constitution,  which  the  federal 
convention  has  submitted  to  the  people  of  these  States.  I 
accompany  it  with  no  observations.  Your  own  judgment 
will  at  once  discover  the  good  and  exceptionable  parts  of  it ; 


206  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  your  experience  of  the  difficulties,  which  have  ever 
arisen  when  attempts  have  been  made  to  reconcile  such 
variety  of  interests  and  local  prejudices,  as  pervade  the 
several  States,  will  render  explanation  unnecessary.  I  wish 
the  Constitution,  which  is  offered,  had  been  more  perfect ; 
but  I  sincerely  believe  that  it  is  the  best  that  could  be  ob- 
tained at  this  time.  And,  as  a  constitutional  door  is  opened 
for  amendment  hereafter,  the  adoption  of  it,  under  the 
present  circumstances  of  the  Union,  is  in  my  opinion  de- 
sirable. 

"  From  a  variety  of  concurring  accounts  it  appears  to  me 
that  the  political  concerns  of  this  country  are  in  a  manner 
suspended  by  a  thread,  and  that  the  convention  has  been 
looked  up  to,  by  the  reflecting  part  of  the  community,  with 
a  solicitude  which  is  hardly  to  be  conceived ;  and,  if  nothing 
had  been  agreed  on  by  that  body,  anarchy  would  soon  have 
ensued,  the  seeds  being  deeply  sown  in  every  soil .  I  am, "  &c. , 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  281. 

Thirteen  a  Magic  Number  in  History 

In  that  nobler  sense  of  the  word,  a  colony  which  is  not 
independent  has  not  risen  to  the  full  rank  of  a  colony ;  it  is 
hardly  a  home  for  the  new  folk  of  the  motherland ;  it  is  little 
more  than  an  outpost  of  its  dominion.  Surely  the  English- 
men of  those  Thirteen  lands,  who  had  unhappily  to  fight 
their  way  to  the  full  rights  of  Englishmen,  did  not  cease  to 
be  Englishmen,  to  be  colonists  of  England,  because  they 
won  them.  Surely  .  .  .  they  became  in  a  higher 
and  truer  sense  colonies  of  the  English  folk  because  they 
had  ceased  to  be  dependencies  of  the  British  crown. ' 

I  speak  of-  Thirteen  lands ;  and  Thirteen  is  as  it  were  a 
magic  number  in  the  history  of  federations.  It  is  a  memor- 
able number  alike  in  the  League  of  Achaia  and  in  the  Old 
League  of  High  Germany.  But  in  none  of  the  three  was 
Thirteen  to  be  the  fated  stint  and  bound  among  the  sharers 


THE  THIRTEEN  BECOME  UNITED  STATES     207 

in  the  common  freedom.  Thirteen  stars,  Thirteen  stripes, 
were  wrought  on  the  banner  of  the  United  States  of  America 
in  their  first  day  of  independence,  the  day  of  their  second 
birth  as  truly  and  fully  a  second  English  nation.  Look  at 
that  banner  now;  tell  the  number  of  those  stars  and  call 
them  by  their  names,  each  of  them  the  name  of  a  free  com- 
monwealth of  the  English  folk.  See  we  not  there  the  expan- 
sion of  England  in  its  greatest  form  ?  See  we  not  there  the 
work  of  Hengest  and  Cerdic  carried  out  on  a  scale  on  which 
it  could  never  have  been  carried  out  in  the  island  which  they 
won  for  us  ?  The  dependent  provinces  of  England  stretched 
but  in  name  to  the  banks  of  the  Father  of  Waters;  from 
the  border  ridge  of  Alleghany,  as  from  the  height  of  Pisgah, 
they  did  but  take  a  glance  at  the  wider  land  beyond.  The 
independent  colonies  of  England  have  found  those  bounds 
too  strait  for  them.  They  have  gone  on  and  taken  posses- 
sion; they  have  carried  the  common  speech  and  the 
common  law,  beyond  the  mountains,  beyond  the  rivers, 
beyond  the  vaster  mountains,  beyond  the  Eastern  Ocean 
itself,  till  America  marches  upon  Asia.  Such  has  been  the 
might  of  independence;  such  has  been  the  strength  of  a 
folk  which  drew  a  new  life  from  the  axe  which  did  not  hew 
it  down,  but  by  a  health-giving  stroke  parted  it  asunder. 
It  may  be,  it  is  only  in  human  nature,  that  so  it  should  be, 
that  the  fact  that  independence  was  won  by  the  sword 
drew  forth  a  keener  life,  a  more  conscious  energy,  a  firmer 
and  fiercer  purpose  to  grow  and  to  march  on.  The  growth 
of  a  land  free  from  the  beginning  might  perchance  have  been 
slower;  let  it  be  so;  a  slight  check  on  the  forward  march 
would  not  have  been  dearly  purchased  by  unbroken  friend- 
ship between  parent  and  child  from  the  beginning. 

George  Washington,  the  Expander  of  England,  Edward  A.  Freeman,  D.C.L.,  LL.D.. 
p.  95. 


CHAPTER  XXXI- 

LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE 

First  President  Unanimously  Elected  on  the  First  Ballot 

Once  more  he  was  called  to  listen  to  the  highest  demands 
of  his  country  in  his  unanimous  election  to  the  presidency. 
With  what  emotions,  with  what  humble  resignation,  with 
how  little  fluttering  of  vainglory  let  the  modest  entry  in  his 
diary,  of  the  i6th  of  April,  1789,  tell: 

"  About  ten  o'clock,  "  he  writes,  "  I  bade  adieu  to  Mount 
Vernon,  to  private  life,  and  to  domestic  felicity;  and  with 
a  mind  oppressed  with  more  anxious  and  painful  sensations 
than  I  have  words  to  express,  set  out  for  New  York  with  the 
best  disposition  to  render  service  to  my  country  in  obedi- 
ence to  its  call,  but  with  less  hope  of  answering  its  expecta- 
tions." 

George  Washington,  Evart  A.  Duyckinck,  Portrait  Gallery  of  Eminent  Men  and  Women, 
Vol.  I,  p.  137. 

President-elect  Washington's  Farewell  to  His  Mother 

Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  present 
government,  the  chief  magistrate  repaired  to  Fredericks- 
burg,  to  pay  his  humble  duty  to  his  mother,  preparatory 
to  his  depart  are  for  New  York.  An  affecting  scene  ensued. 
The  son  feelingly  remarked  -the  ravages  which  a  torturing 
disease  had  made  upon  the  aged  frame  of  the  mother,  and 
addressed  her  with  these  words:  "The  people,  madam, 
have  been  pleased,  with  the  most  nattering  unanimity  to 
elect  me  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  these  United  States,  but 
before  I  can  assume  the  functions  of  my  office,  I  have  come 
to  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell.  So  soon  as  the  weight 
of  public  business,  which  must  necessarily  attend  the  outset 

(208) 


log 


of  a  new  government,  can  be  disposed  of,  I  shall  hasten  to 
•Virginia,  and" — here  the  matron  interrupted  with — "And 
you  will  see  me  no  more ;  my  great  age,  and  the  disease  which 
is  fast  approaching  my  vitals,  warn  me  that  I  shall  not  be 
long  in  this  world ;  I  trust  in  God  that  I  may  be  somewhat 
prepared  for  a,  better.  But  go,  George,  fulfil  the  high 
destinies  which  Heaven  appears  to  have  intended  for  you; 
go,  my  son,  and  may  Heaven's  and  a  mother's  blessing  be 
with  you  always. " 

The  President  was  deeply  affected.  His  head  rested 
upon  the  shoulder  of  his  parent,  whose  aged  arm  feebly  yet 
fondly  encircled  his  neck.  That  brow  on  which  fame  had 
wreathed  the  purest  laurel  virtue  ever  gave  to  created  man, 
relaxed  from  its  awful  bearing.  That  look  which  could 
have  awed  a  Roman  senate  in  its  Fabrician  day,  was  bent  in 
filial  tenderness  upon  the  time-worn  features  of  the  aged 
matron.  He  wept. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  144. 

The  First  President-elect  on  His  Way  to  New  York 

Washington  was  elected  President  on  the  first  ballot; 
there  was  no  need  for  any  one  to  move  that  the  ballot  be 
made  unanimous,  for  not  a  single  vote  was  cast  against 
him.  On  receipt  of.  formal  notification  from  Congress,  he 
started  for  the  seat  of  government,  which  was  then  at  New 
York,  and  from  the  beginning  of  his  journey  to  its  end 
he  found  that  the  entire  community  had  business  that  called 
them  to  the  roadside.  Again  he  crossed  the  Delaware, 
not,  as  before,  at  night,  by  stealth  and  in  desperation. 
There  was,  as  before,  a  storm,  but  it  was  of  deafening 
applause  instead  of  blinding  snow,  and  those  who  followed 
him,  as  did  a  messenger  from  Congress  on  that  eventful 
Christmas  night  in  1776,  found  their  way  not  marked  by  the 
bloody  footprints  of  patriot  soldiers,  but  by  flowers  cast  in 
the  road  by  patriots'  children. 


2i6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Before  reaching  New  York,  Washington  had  taken  as 
much  reception  as  he  could  enjoy,  so  he  wrote  Governor 
Clinton  that  he  would  be  glad  to  enter  the  city  without 
ceremony,  which  showed  that  he  did  not  understand  the 
people  of  New  York.  At  Elizabeth  Point,  in  the  Kills, 
he  was  placed  in  a  handsome  barge  manned  by  thirteen 
American  ship  captains  (for  there  were  American  ships,  and 
consequently  ship  captains,  in  those  days),  and  rowed  to  the 
Battery  through  a  long  avenue  of  boats  of  all  kinds  and  all 
full  of  vociferous  patriots.  Enough  people  were  on  shore, 
however,  to  fill  the  streets  and  windows  and  give  him  the 
heartiest  reception  that  the  city  ever  extended  to  any  one, 
for  at  last,  after  many  years,  Washington  had  captured  New 
York. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p    273. 

Song  of  the  Girls  Strewing  His  Path  with  Flowers 

Welcome,  mighty  chief,  once  more 
Welcome  to  this  grateful  shore ; 
Now  no  mercenary  foe 
.  Aims  again  the  fatal  blow — 
Aims  at  thee  the  fatal  blow. 
Virgins  fair  and  matrons  grave, 
These  thy  conquering  arm  did  save. 
Build  for  thee  triumphal  bowers, 
Strew,  ye  fair,  his  way  with  flowers — 
Strew  your  Hero's  way  with  flowers. 

Written  for  the  occasion  by  Richard  Howell,  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  sung  at 
the  bridge  at  Trenton,  1789. 

Ovation  at  New  York 

He  approached  the  landing-place  of  Murray's  Wharf 
amid  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  roaring  of  cannonry,  and  the 
shouting  of  multitudes  collected  on  every  pier-head.  On 
landing,  he  was  received  by  Governor  Clinton.  General 
Knox,  too,  who  had  taken  such  affectionate  leave  of  him  on 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  211 

his  retirement  from  military  life,  was  there  to  welcome  him 
in  his  civil  capacity.  Other  of  his  fellow-soldiers  of  the 
Revolution  were  likewise  there,  mingled  with  the  civic 
dignitaries.  At  this  juncture  an  officer  stepped  up  and 
requested  Washington's  orders,  announcing  himself  as 
commanding  his  guard.  Washington  directed  him  to  pro- 
ceed according  to  the  directions  he  might  have  received 
in  the  present  arrangements,  but  that  for  the  future 
the  love  of  his  fellow-citizens  was  all  the  guard  he 
wanted. 

Carpets  had  been  spread  to  a  carriage  prepared  to 
convey  him  to  his  destined  residence,  but  he  preferred  to 
walk.  He  was  attended  by  a  long  civil  and  military  train. 
In  the  streets  through  which  he  passed  the  houses  were 
decorated  with  flags,  silken  banners,  garlands  of  flowers 
and  evergreens,  and  bore  his  name  in  every  form  of  orna- 
ment. The  streets  were  crowded  with  people,  so  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  a  passage  could  be  made  by  the  city 
officers.  Washington  frequently  bowed  to  the  multitude 
as  he  passed,  taking  off  his  hat  to  the  ladies,  who  thronged 
every  window,  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  throwing  flowers 
before  him,  and  many  of  them  shedding  tears  of  en- 
thusiasm. 

That  day  he  dined  with  his  old  friend  Governor  Clinton, 
who  had  invited  a  numerous  company  of  public  functionaries 
and  foreign  diplomatists  to  meet  him,  and  in  the  evening 
the  city  was  brilliantly  illuminated. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.. 578. 

Why  the  Inauguration  Was  Delayed 

The  inauguration  was  delayed  several  days  by  a 
question  which  had  risen  as  to  the  form  or  title  by  which  the 
President-elect  was  to  be  addressed;  and  this  had  been 
deliberated  in  a  committee  of  both  Houses.  The  question 
had  been  mooted  without  Washington's  privity,  and  con- 
trary to  his  desire ;  as  he  feared  that  any  title  might  awaken 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


the  sensitive  jealousy  of  republicans,  at  a  moment  when 
it  was  all-important  to  conciliate  public  good-will  to  the 
new  form  of  government.  It  was  a  relief  to  him,  therefore, 
when  it  was  finally  resolved  that  the  address  should  be 
simply  "the  President  of  the  United  States,"  without  any 
addition  of  title;  a  judicious  form  which  has  remained  to 
the  present  day. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p.  580. 

A  National  Tribute  of  Affection 

For  a  week  Washington  remained  quietly  in  New 
York,  where  great  preparations  were  being  made  for  install- 
ing him  as  President.  On  Wall  Street  a  fine  building, 
known  as  Federal  Hall,  had  been  erected  and  presented  to 
Congress,  and  here  the  inauguration  was  to  take  place. 
Those  who  feared  that  American  liberty  would  be  endan- 
gered by  the  observance  of  any  forms  whatsoever,  were 
exceedingly  critical  of  the  arrangements  made  for  the 
occasion,  but  it  was,  after  all,  a  very  simple  ceremony  that 
marked  the  inauguration  of  the  fir^t  President  of  the 
United  States. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  April  30,  1789,  the  bells  of 
all  the  churches  summoned  the  people  to  their  various 
places  of  worship  for  the  special  services  ordained  for  the 
day,  and  by  the  time  these  were  concluded  the  military  and 
civil  procession  was  already  moving  toward  the  Franklin 
House,  and  Wall  Street  and  its  vicinity  were  crowded  with 
a  dense  mass  of  spectators.  Washington  left  his  residence 
shortly  after  twelve  o'clock,  but  so  great  was  the  throng  in 
the  streets  that  his  carriage  did  not  reach  Federal  Hall  for 
almost  an  hour,  and  he  was  obliged  to  alight  some  little 
distance  from  the  building  and  make  his  way  to  it  on  foot, 
passing  through  the  cheering  crowd  between  a  double 
line  of  troopers.  A  moment's  pause  followed,  and  then  he 
appeared  on  the  balcony  facing  Wall  and  Broad  streets, 
and  behind  him  came  John  Adams,  Chancellor  Livingston, 


in 

x 


5 
5 
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CO 


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en 

5 
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as 
H 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  213 

Baron  Steuben,  General  Knox,  and  other  distinguished 
officers  and  officials.  He  was  dressed  in  a  plain  brown- 
cloth  suit,  with  metal  buttons  ornamented  with  eagles; 
his  stockings  were  white  silk  and  his  shoe  buckles  silver; 
and  at  his  side  he  carried  a  steel-hilted  dress  sword,  and  his 
powdered  hair  was  worn  in  a  queue. 

Never  did  any  man  receive  a  more  general  and  heart- 
felt welcome  than  that  which  greeted  Washington  as  he 
faced  the  mass  of  spectators,  but  he  was  evidently  unpre- 
pared for  the  wild  outburst  with  which  he  was  acclaimed. 
It  was  at  once  a  roar  of  triumphant  thanksgiving,  a  national 
salute,  and  a  tribute  of  admiration  and  affection,  and 
visibly  affected  by  it,  he  stepped  back  for  a  moment  to 
recover  his  composure. 

On  the  Trail  of  Washington,  Frederick  Trevor  Hill,  p.  256. 

"Long  Live  President  Washington!" 

Nearly  eight  years  after  the  Revolution  .  .  Wash- 
ington was  elected  the  first  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  took  the  oath  of  office,  April  30,  1789,  on  the  balcony 
of  a  building  in  front  of  City  Hall,  which  they  afterwards 
called  Federal  Hall,  on  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau 
streets,  New  York  City,  where  the  United  States  Sub-Treas- 
ury now  stands.  It  had  been  intended  that  the  inaugura- 
tion should  take  place  March  4th,  when  the  Constitution 
went  into  effect,  but  for  several  reasons  the  ceremony  was 
postponed.  When  Washington  took  the  oath  as  President 
the  Judge  who  administered  i't  raised  his  hand  and  cried  to 
the  crowd  below:  "Long  live  George  Washington,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States."  Then-a  flag  was  run  up  above 
the  cupola  of  the  building,  bells  rang,  cannon  boomed, 
and  all  the  people  shouted: 

"Long  live  George  Washington,  President  of  the  United 
States!" 

The  Story  of  the  White  House,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.   13. 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Part  of  the  First  Inaugural  Address 

"  Fellow-Citizens  of  the  Senate  and  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives: 

"  Among  the  vicissitudes  incident  to  life,  no  event  could 
have  filled  me  with  greater  anxieties,  than  that  of  which  the 
notification  was  transmitted  by  your  order,  and  received  on 
the  1 4th  day  of  the  present  month.  On  the  one  hand  I  was 
summoned  by  my  country,  whose  voice  I  can  never  hear 
but  with  veneration  and  love,  from  a  retreat  which  I  had 
chosen  with  the  fondest  predilection,  and,  in  my  flattering 
hopes,  with  an  immutable  decision,  as  the  asylum  of  my 
declining  years;  a  retreat  which  was  rendered  every  day 
more  necessary,  as  well  as  more  dear  to  me,  by  the  addition 
of  habit  to  inclination,  and  of  frequent  interruptions  in  my 
health  to  the  gradual  waste  committed  on  it  by  time.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  magnitude  and  difficulty  of  the  trust, 
to  which  the  voice  of  my  country  called  me,  being  sufficient 
to  awaken  in  the  wisest  and  most  experienced  of  her  citizens 
a  distrustful  scrutiny  into  his  qualifications,  could  not  but 
overwhelm  with  despondence  one,  who,  inheriting  inferior 
endowments  from  nature,  and  unpractised  in  the  duties  of 
civil  administration,  ought  to  be  peculiarly  conscious  of  his 
own  deficiencies.  In  this  conflict  of  emotions,  all  I  dare 
aver  is,  that  it  has  been  my  faithful  study  to  collect  my 
duty  from  a  just  appreciation  of  every  circumstance  by 
which  it  might  be  affected.  All  I  dare  hope  is,  that,  if  in 
executing  this  task,  I  have  been  too  much  swayed  by  a 
grateful  remembrance  of  former  instances,  or  by  an  affec- 
tionate sensibility  to  this  transcendent  proof  of  the  con- 
fidence of  my  fellow-citizens;  and  have  thence  too  little 
consulted  my  incapacity  as  well  as  disinclination  for  the 
weighty  and  untried  cares  before  me;  my  error  will  be 
palliated  by  the  motives  which  misled  me,  and  its  conse- 
quences be  judged  by  my  country  with  some  share  of  the 
partiality  in  which  they  originated 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  215 

"  Having  thus  imparted  to  you  my  sentiments,  as  they 
have  been  awakened  by.  the  occasion  which  brings  us 
together,  I  shall  take  my  present  leave,  but  not  without 
resorting  once  more  to  the  benign  Parent  of  the  human 
race,  in  humble  supplication,  that,  since  He  has  been  pleased 
to  favor  the  American  people  with,  opportunities  for  de- 
liberating in  perfect  tranquillity,  and  dispositions  for  deciding 
with  unparalleled  unanimity  on  the  form  of  government 
for  the  security  of  their  union  and  the  advancement  of  their 
happiness ;  so  His  divine  blessing  may  be  equally  conspicuous 
in  the  enlarged  views,  the  temperate  consultations,  and  the 
wise  measures,  on  which  the  success  of  this  government 
must  depend." 

Washington's  First  Inaugural  Address,  Old  South  Leaflets,  Fifth  Series,  1887,  No.  8, 
p.  i. 

Guide  the  "Ship  of  State"  Aright 

O  noble  brow,  so  wise  in  thought ! 

0  heart,  so  true!  O  soul  unbought! 

O  eye,  so  keen  to  pierce  the  night 

And  guide  the  "  Ship  of  State  "  aright! 

O  life,  so  simple,  grand  and  free, 

The  humblest  still  may  turn  to  thee. 

O  king  uncrowned!  O  prince  of  men! 

When  shall  we  see  thy  like  again? 

The  century,  just  passed  away, 

Has  felt  the  impress  of  thy  sway, 

While  youthful  hearts  have  stronger  grown 

And  made  thy  patriot  zeal  their  own. 

In  marble  hall  or  lowly  cot 

Thy  name  hath  never  been  forgot. 

The  world  itself  is  richer,  far, 

For  the  clear  shining  of  a  star. 

And  loyal  hearts  in  years  to  run 

Shall  turn  to  thee,  -O  Washington ! 

Washington,  Mary  Wingatc,  Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauf- 
fler,  p.  S7. 


2i6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Starting  the  New  Government 

On  assuming  the  responsibilities  of  the  new  office, 
Washington  found  himeslf  in  about  the  same  position  as 
when,  nearly  fifteen  years  before,  he  took  command  of  the 
army,  for  everything  was  to  be  done  and  there  was  nothing 
with  which  to  do  it.  He  had  no  Cabinet,  for  although  the 
convention  had  provided  for  "constitutional  advisers," 
the  States  and  cliques  had  not  yet  learned  the  trick  of  getting 
rid  of  troublesome  politicians  by  inflicting  them  upon  the 
President.  There  was  a  treasury,  but  no  money  to  put 
into  it,  although  there  was  an  indebtedness  of  fifty  million 
dollars,  for  which  money  the  creditors  had  been  clamoring 
for  a  long  time.  There  were  Indian  troubles  at  the  west, 
discontent  among  the  settlers  in  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  British  soldiers  trying  to  act  as  bailiffs,  at  some  posts 
in  the  (then)  northwest.  And,  to  crown  all,  there  was  a 
general  willingness,  among  State  officials,  to  stand  off  as  far 
as  possible  and  see  if  the  new  government  could  stand  alone. 

Fortunately,  the  old  departments  of  the  confederation 
contained  some  men  on  whom  Washington  had  learned  to 
rely;  one  was  John  Jay,  soon  afterward  appointed  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  another  was  General 
Knox,  who  remained  in  his  old  position  by  being  appointed 
Secretary  of  War.  Hamilton  was  quickly  made  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  Edmund  Randolph  of  Virginia  became 
Attorney  General,  and  Jefferson  was  invited  to  return  from 
France  and  become  Secretary  of  State. 

As  no  two  members  of  the  Cabinet  were  entirely  agreed 
as  to  the  powers  of  the  government  and  the  probable  drift 
of  the  nation,  not  even  the  smallest  question  could  be  settled 
without  a  great  deal  of  talk.  One  of  the  first  subjects  of 
general  wonder  was  that  of  etiquette,  and  no  two  men,  in 
the  Cabinet  or  out  of  it,  agreed  about  it.  Washington's 
sole  personal  concern  in  the  matter  was  to  be  approachable, 
yet  have  some  time  to  himself  for  private  and  public 
purposes;  since  his  inauguration  the  throngs  that  dropped 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  217 

in  to  see  the  President  had  been  so  great  that  the  unfortu- 
nate man  had  scarcely  time  for  eating  and  sleeping. 

Washington  finally  asked  the  advice  of  his  friends  on 
this  perplexing  subject;  the  replies  were  various,  but  the 
one  that  savored  most  of  European  court  customs  came 
not  from  descendants  of  Virginia  cavaliers  or  New  York 
aristocrats;  it  was  given  by  John  Adams  of  Massachusetts. 
A  form  of  etiquette  was  finally  patched  together,  as  simple 
and  republican  as  any  one  could  have  made  it.  There  were 
receptions  every  week  at  the  Executive  Mansion,  which 
any  respectable  citizen  could  attend  without  special  invita- 
tion, yet  so  refined  and  graceful  were  the  natural  manners 
of  the  President  and  his  wife;  and  so  stiff  was  Washing- 
ton's carriage,  thanks  to  rheumatic  lirrbs  and  other 
infirmities  incident  to  approaching  age,  that  suspicious  people 
began  to  talk  of  levees,  drawing-rooms,  courtly  style,  etc. 

For  many  weeks  Washington  was  saved  from  outside 
annoyances  by  an  attack  of  sickness  that  sent  him  almost 
to  his  grave.  He  had  not  yet  recovered  when  his  mother 
died,  so  he  had  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  care  at  all 
for  forms  and  ceremonies. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  276. 

Mrs.  Washington's  "Queenly  Drawing-rooms !" 

On  the  i  yth  of  May,  Mrs.  Washington,  accompanied  by 
her  grandchildren,  Eleanor  Custis  and  George  Washington 
Parke  Custis,  set  out  from  Mount  Vernon  in  her  travelling 
carriage  with  a  small  escort  of  horse,  to  join  her  husband  at  the 
seat  of  government ;  as  she  had  been  accustomed  to  join  him  at 
headquarters,  in  the  intervals  of  his  Revolutionary  campaigns. 

Throughout  the  journey  she  was  greeted  with  public 
testimonials  of  respect  and  affection.  As  she  approached 
Philadelphia,  the  President  of  Pennsylvania  and  other 
State  functionaries,  with  a  number  of  the  principal  inhabit- 
ants of  both  sexes,  came  forth  to  meet  her,  and  she  was 
attended  into  the  city  by  a  numerous  cavalcade,  and  wel- 
comed with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  firing  of  cannon. 


2i8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Similar  honors  were  paid  her  in  her  progress  through 
New  Jersey.  At  Elizabethtown  she  alighted  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Governor  Livingston,  whither  Washington  came 
from  New  York  to  meet  her.  They  proceeded  thence  by 
water,  in  the  same  splendid  barge  in  which  the  General  had 
been  conveyed  for  his  inauguration.  It  was  manned  as  on 
that  occasion,  by  thirteen  master  pilots,  arrayed  in  white, 
and  had  several  persons  of  note  on  board.  There  was  a 
salute  of  thirteen  guns  as  the  barge  passed  the  Battery  at 
New  York.  The  landing  took  place  at  Peck  Slip,  not  far 
from  the  presidential  residence,  amid  the  enthusiastic  cheers 
of  an  immense  multitude. 

On  the  following  day,  Washington  gave  a  demi-official 
dinner,  of  which  Mr.  Wingate,  a  senator  from  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  was  present,  writes  as  follows: 

"The  guests  consisted  of  the  Vice-President,  the  foreign 
ministers,  the  heads  of  departments,  the  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  arid  the  Senators  from  New 
Hampshire  and  Georgia,  the  then  most  Northern  and 
Southern  States.  It  was  the  least  showy  dinner  that  I  ever 
saw  at  the  President's  table,  and  the  company  was  not  large. 
As  there  was  no  chaplain  present,  the  President  himself 
said  a  very  short  grace  as  he  was  sitting  down.  After 
dinner  and  dessert  were  finished,  one  glass  of  wine  was 
passed  around  the  table,  and  no  toast.  The  President  rose, 
and  all  the  company  retired  to  the  drawing-room,  from  which 
the  guests  departed,  as  every  one  chose,  without  ceremony. " 

On  the  evening  of  the  following  day  (Friday,  May  29th), 
Mrs.  Washington  had  a  general  reception,  which  was  at- 
tended by  all  that  was  distinguished  in  official  and  fashion- 
able society.  Henceforward  there  were  similar  receptions 
every  Friday  evening,  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock,  to  which 
the  families  of  all  persons  of  respectability,  native  or  for- 
eign, had  access,  without  special  invitation;  and  at  which 
the  President  was  always  present.  These  assemblages  were 
as  free  from  ostentation  and  restraint  as  the  ordinary  recep- 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  219 

tions  of  polite  society ;  yet  the  reader  will  find  they  were 
soon  subject  to  invidious  misrepresentation;  and  caviled 
at  as  "  court-like-levees  "  and  "queenly  drawing-rooms!" 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  39. 

Supreme  Court  and  Congress 

By  the  judicial  system  established  for  the  federal 
government,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  was 
to  be  composed  of  a  chief  justice  and  five  associate  judges. 
There  were  to  be  district  courts  with  a  judge  in  each  State, 
and  circuit  courts  held  by  an  associate  judge  and  a  district 
judge.  John  Jay,  of  New  York,  received  the  appointment 
of  Chief  Justice,  and  in  a  letter  enclosing  his  commission, 
Washington  expressed  the  singular  pleasure  he  felt  in 
addressing  him  "as  the  head  of  that  department  which 
must  be  considered  as  the  keystone  of  our  political  fabric." 

Jay's  associate  judges  were,  John  Rutledge  of  South 
Carolina,  James  Wilson  of  Pennsylvania,  William  Gushing 
of  Massachusetts,  John  Blair  of  Virginia,  and  James  Iredell 
of  North  Carolina.  Washington  had  originally  nominated 
to  one  of  the  judgeships  his  former  military  secretary, 
Robert  Harrison,  familiarly  known  as  the  old  Secretary;  but 
he  preferred  the  office  of  Chancellor  of  Maryland,  recently 
conferred  upon  him. 

On  the  2  pth  of  September,  Congress  adjourned  to  the 
first  Monday  in  January,  after  an  arduous  session,  in  which 
many  important  questions  had  been  discussed,  and  powers 
organized  and  distributed.  The  actual  Congress  was 
inferior  in  eloquence  and  shining  talent  to  the  first  Congress 
of  the  Revolution;  but  it  possessed  men  well  fitted 
for  the  momentous  work  before  them;  sober,  solid,  up- 
right, and  well  informed.  An  admirable  harmony  had 
prevailed  between  the  legislature  and  the  executive,  and  the 
utmost  decorum  had  reigned  over  the  public  deliberations. 

Fisher  Ames,  then  a  young  man,  who  had  acquired  a 
brilliant  reputation  in  Massachusetts  by  the  eloquence 


220  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

with  which  he  had  championed  the  new  constitution  in  the 
convention  of  that  important  State,  and  who  had  recently 
been  elected  to  Congress,  speaks  of  it  in  the  following  terms : 
"  I  have  never  seen  an  assembly  where  so  little  art  was 
used.  If  they  wish  to  carry  a  point,  it  is  directly  declared 
and  justified.  Its  merits  and  defects  are  plainly  stated, 
not  without  sophistry  and  prejudice,  but  without,  manage- 
ment. .  .  .  There  is  no  intrigue,  no  caucusing,  little 
of  clanning  together,  little  asperity  in  debate,  or  personal 
bitterness  out  of  the  House.  " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  53. 

"The  First  and  Dearest  Wish  of  My  Heart" 

As  to  Mrs.  Washington,  those  who  really  knew  her  at 
the  time,  speak  of  her  as  free  from  pretension  or  affectation ; 
undazzled  by  her  position,  and  discharging  its  duties  with 
the  truthful  simplicity  and  real  good-breeding  of  one 
accustomed  to  preside  over  a  hospitable  mansion  in  the 
"Ancient  Dominion."  She  had  her  husband's  predilection 
for  private  life.  In  a  letter  to  an  intimate  she  writes:  "It 
is  owing  to  the  kindness  of  our  numerous  friends  in  all 
quarters  that  my  new  and  unwished  for  situation  is  not 
indeed  a  burden  to  me.  When  I  was  much  younger,  I 
should  probably  have  enjoyed  the  innocent  gayeties  of 
life  as  much  as  most  persons  of  my  age;  but  I  had  long 
since  placed  all  the  prospects  of  my  future  worldly  happiness 
in  the  still  enjoyments  of  the  fireside  at  Mount  Vernon. 

' '  I  little  thought,  when  the  war  was  finished,  that  any  cir- 
cumstances could  possibly  happen,  which  would  call  the  Gen- 
eral into  public  life  again.  I  had  anticipated  from  that  moment 
we  should  be  suffered  to  grow  old  together  in  solitude  and  tran- 
quillity. That  was  the  first  and  dearest  wish  of  my  heart." 

Life  of  George  Washington  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  42. 

"The  General  Always  Retires  at  Nine" 

To  protect  himself  from  being  at  everybody's  call,  and 
so  unable  to  be  of  the  greatest  service,  he  established  certain 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  221 

rules.  .  Every  Tuesday,  between  the  hours  of  three  and 
four,  he  received  whoever  might  come.  Every  Friday 
afternoon  Mrs.  Washington  received  with  him.  At  all 
other  times,  he  could  be  seen  only  by  special  appointment. 
He  never  accepted  invitations  to  dinner,  and  that  has  been 
the  rule  of  Presidents  ever  since;  but  he  invited  constantly 
to  his  own  table  foreign  ministers,  members  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  other  guests.  He  received  no  visits  on  Sunday. 
He  went  to  church  with  his  family  in  the  morning,  and 
spent  the  afternoon  by  himself.  The  evening  he  spent  with 
his  family  and  sometimes  had  with  him  an  intimate  friend. 

He  still  kept  up  his  old  habit  of  rising  at  four  and  going 
to  bed  at  nine.  Mrs.  Washington  had  a  grave  little  formula 
with  which  she  used  to  dismiss  visitors  in  the  evening: 

"The  General  always  retires  at  nine  o'clock,  and  I 
usually  precede  him." 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  232. 

Why  Was  Jefferson  Secretary  of  State? 

Washington's  extreme  desire  to  have  Jefferson  act  as 
Secretary  of  State  has  never  been  distinctly  explained ;  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  it  was  because  the  ex-governor  of  Virginia 
and  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  what  in 
modern  parlance  would  be  called  a  "red  hot  republican," 
and  his  presence  in  the  Cabinet  would  do  much  to  allay  the 
suspicion,  often  uttered,  that  the  tendency  of  the  new  gov- 
ernment would  be  monarchical.  Washington  himself  was 
known  to  be  a  believer  in  strong  governments ;  so  was  Jay ; 
Hamilton,  although  not  wishing  a  monarchy  in  America, 
was  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  English  system;  and  Knox, 
being  a  soldier,  might  be  supposed  willing  to  use  the  army 
in  favor  of  the  ruler  and  against  the  people  in  case  of  emer- 
gency, as  soldiers  in  foreign  cabinets  had  always  been  ready 
to  do.  But  to  Jefferson  the  people  were  everything,  and 
rulers  nothing ;  "there" is  not  a  crowned  head  in  Europe," 
he  said,  "whose  talents  or  merits  would  entitle  him  to  be 


222  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


elected  a  vestryman  by  the  people  of  any  parish  in  America.  " 
He  was  jealous,  for  his  country's  sake,  of  nearly  everything 
and  everybody  in  the  government  but  Washington  himself, 
for  whom  he  had  so  great  respect  that,  although  he  opposed 
the  re-election  of  any  man  to  the  presidency,  he  said  of  the 
principle,  "  I  would  not  wish  it  to  be  altered  during  the  life- 
time of  our  great  leader,  whose  executive  talents  are  superior 
to  those,  I  believe,  of  any  man  in  the  world,  and  who  alone,  by 
the  authority  of  his  name  and .  the  confidence  reposed  in 
his  perfect  integrity,  is  fully  qualified  to  put  the  new  govern- 
ment so  under  way  as  to  secure  it  against  the  efforts  of 
opposition. " 

Jefferson's  hatred  of  monarchical  institutions  had  been 
further  evinced  by  the  hearty  sympathy  he  was  known  to 
have  with  all  the  Frenchmen  who  were  preparing  for  the 
revolution.  While  minister  from  the  United  States  to  the 
King  of  France,  he  consorted  by  choice  with  the  most 
radical  of  the  radicals,  and  wrote  enthusiastic  letters  about 
them  to  his  American  acquaintances.  How  could  any 
government  be  suspected  of  monarchical  tendencies,  if  such 
a  man  stood  next  in  importance  to  the  executive? 

George  Washington,  J«hn  Habberton,  p.  278. 

Hamilton  versus  Jefferson 

Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  had  been  ordered 
by  Congress,  at  its  previous  session,  to  prepare  i  plan  of 
payment ;  he  accordingly  advised  that  the  State  liabilities 
should  be  assumed  by  the  nation,  and  the  entire  debt  be 
funded,  Congress  to  impose  taxes  for  its  reduction  and  final 
payment.  Washington  heartily  approved  Hamilton's  plan, 
but  nearly  half — and  the  noisiest  half — of  Congress  opposed 
it.  They  were  willing  to  pay  the  money  due  to  foreigners, 
otherwise  they  might  have  to  fight  again;  the  home  debt, 
much  of  which  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  speculators, 
they  wanted  to  "scale"  according  to -the  holders,  and  they 
objected  stoutly  to  the  assumption  of  the  war  debts  of  the 


223 


States.  This  last  measure  was  defeated  in  the  House,  by  a 
majority  of  two,  which  afterward  was  overcome  by  a  little 
dicker  whereby  Jefferson  secured  two  Virginia  votes  for  the 
assumption  of  the  State  debts — a  northern  measure — on 
Hamilton's  obtaining  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  plan  of  the 
ultimate  removal  of  the  seat  of  government  to  the  south. 
Both  men  meant  well,  but  unfortunately  Jefferson,  who  knew 
nothing  whatever  of  finance,  and,  being  human,  distrusted 
whatever  he  did  not  understand,  was  persuaded  that  Hamil- 
ton had  tricked  him,  and  from  that  time  forth  he  suspected 
the  Secretary,  politically,  of  every  thing  that  was  bad — even 
of  secret  designs  to  turn  the  government  into  a  monarchy. 

The  subsequent  disagreements  of  the  two  men  were  an 
unfailing  source  of  misery  to  Washington,  and  he  devoted 
many  precious  hours  to  the  task  of  showing  Jefferson  his 
mistake,  but  all  was  of  no  avail.  When  the  Secretary  of  State 
was  not  complaining  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  he 
was  begging  Washington  to  abate  form  and  ceremony.  He 
was  not  alone  at  this  business,  although  he  cannot  be  excused 
on  account  of  ignorance,  as  could  Patrick  Henry,  who  actually 
declined  to  be  elected  to  the  Senate  because  he  felt  too  old  to 
adopt  the  manner  which  he  had  been  informed  prevailed  at 
the  seat  of  government.  Another  Virginian,  one  Colonel 
B—  — ,  had  reported  that  there  was  more  pomp  than  at 
the  British  court,  and  that  Washington's  bows  were  more 
distant  and  stiff. 

When  this  came  to  Washington's  ears,  he  seized  his  pen 
and  wrote :  "  That  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  bows  to  the 
taste  of  Colonel  B—  -  (who  by  the  way,  I  believe  never 
saw  one  of  them)  is  to  be  regretted,  especially  as  upon  those 
occasions  they  were  indiscriminately  bestowed  and  the  best 
I  was  master  of.  Would  it  not  have  been  better  to  throw  a 
veil  of  charity  over  them,  ascribing  the  stiffness  to  the  effects 
of  age  or  the  unskillfulness  of  my  teacher,  rather  than  to 
pride  and  the  dignity  of  office,  which  God  knows  has  no 
charms  for  me?  For  I  can  truly  say  I  had  rather  be  at 


224  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Mount  Vernon,  with  a  friend  or  two  about  me,  than 
to  be  attended  at  the  seat  of  government  by  the  officers  of 
state  and  the  representatives  of  every  power  in  Europe." 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  280. 

A  Very  Sensible  Rule 

From  the  first,  he  began  to  be  besieged  by  applicants 
for  office,  and  he  made  immediately  the  very  sensible  rule 
that  he  would  not  give  any  pledge  or  encouragement  to  any 
applicant.  He  heard  what  they  and  their  friends  had  to  say, 
and  then  made  up  his  mind  deliberately.  He  had,  however, 
certain  principles  in  his  mind  which  governed  him  in  making 
appointments,  and  they  were  so  high  and  honorable,  and 
show  so  well  the  character  of  the  man,  that  I  copy  here  what 
he  said  with  .regard  to  the  matter: — 

"Scarcely  a  day  passes  in  which  applications  of  one 
kind  or  another  do  not  arrive ;  insomuch  that,  had  I  not  early 
adopted  some  general  principles,  I  should  before  this  time 
have  been  wholly  occupied  in  this  business.  As  it  is,  I  have 
found  the  number  of  answers,  which  I  have  been,  necessi- 
tated to  give  in  my  own  hand,  an  almost  insupportable 
burden  to  me.  The  points  in  which  all  these  answers  have 
agreed  in  substance  are,  that,  should  it  be  my  lot  to  go  again 
into  public  office,  I  would  go  without  being  under  any 
possible  engagements  of  any  nature  whatsoever;  that,  so 
far  as  I  knew  my  own  heart,  I  would  not  be  in  the  remotest 
degree  influenced  in  making  nominations  by  motives  arising 
from  the  ties  of  family  or  blood;  and  that,  on  the  other 
hand,  three  things,  in  my  opinion,  ought  principally  to  be 
regarded,  namely :  the  fitness  of  characters  to  fill  the  offices, 
the  comparative  claims  from  the  former  merits  and  suffer- 
ings in  service  of  the  different  candidates,  and  the  distri- 
bution of  appointments  in  as  equal  a  proportion  as  might  be 
to 'persons  belonging  to  the  different  States  in  the  Union. 
Without  precautions  of  this  kind,  I  clearly  foresaw  the  end- 
less jealousies  and  possibly  the  fatal  consequences  to  which 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  225 

a  government,  depending  altogether  on  the  good-will  of  the 
people  for  its  establishment,  would  certainly  be  exposed 
in  its  early  stages.  Besides,  I  thought,  whatever  the  effect 
might  be  in  pleasing  or  displeasing  any  individuals,  at  the 
present  moment,  a  due  concern  for  my  own  reputation,  not 
less  decisively  than  a  sacred  regard  to  the  interests  of  the 
community,  required  that  I  should  hold  myself  absolutely 
at  liberty  to  act,  while  in  office,  with  a  sole  reference  to 
justice  and  the  public  good. "  • 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  Horace  E.  Scudder,  p.  231. 

The  Country's  Credit 

Among  the  most  important  objects  suggested  in  the 
address  for  the  deliberation  of  Congress,  were  provisions  for 
the  national  defense;  provisions  for  facilitating  intercourse 
with  foreign  nations,  and  defraying  the  expenses  of  diplo- 
matic agents;  laws  for  the  naturalization  of  foreigners; 
uniformity  in  the  currency,  weights,  and  measures  of  the 
United  States;  facilities  for  the  advancement  of  commerce, 
agriculture,  and  manufactures;  attention  to  the  post- 
office  and  post -roads ;  measures  for  the  promotion  of  science 
and  literature,  and  for  the  support  of  public  credit. 

The  last  object  was  the  one  which  Washington  had 
more  immediately  at  heart.  The  government  was  now 
organized,  apparently,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties; 
but  its  efficiency  would  essentially  depend  on  the  success  of  a 
measure  which  Washington  had  pledged  himself  to  institute, 
and  which  was  yet  to  be  tried ;  namely,  a  system  of  finance 
adapted  to  revive  the  national  credit,  and  place  the  public 
debt  in  a  condition  to  be  paid  off.  The  credit  of  the  country 
was  at  a  low  ebb.  The  confederacy,  by  its  articles,  had  the 
power  of  contracting  debts  for  a  national  object,  but  no 
control  over  the  means  of  payment.  Thirteen  independent 
legislatures  could  grant  or  withhold  the  means.  The 
government  was  then  a  government  under  governments — 
the  States  had  more  power  than  Congress.  At  the  close  of 


226  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  war  the  debt  amounted  to  forty-two  millions  of  dollars ; 
but  so  little  had  the  country  been  able  to  fulfil  its  engage- 
ments, owing  to  the  want  of  a  sovereign  legislature  having 
the  sole  and  executive  power  of  laying  duties  upon  imports, 
and  thus  providing  adequate  resources,  that  the  debt  had 
swollen,  through  arrears  of  interest,  to  upwards  of  fifty- 
four  millions.  Of  this  amount  nearly  eight  millions  were 
due  to  France,  between  three  and  four  millions  to  private 
lenders  in  Holland,  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand in  Spain;  making,  altogether,  nearly  twelve  millions 
due  abroad.  The  debt,  contracted  at  home  amounted  to 
upwards  of  forty-two  millions,  and  was  due,  originally,  to 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  who  had 
risked  their  lives  for  the  cause;  farmers  who  had  furnished 
supplies  for  the  public  service,  or  whose  property  had  been 
assumed  for  it;  capitalists  who,  in  critical  periods  of  the 
war,  had  ventured  their  fortunes  in  support  of  their  coun- 
try's independence.  The  domestic  debt,  therefore,  could 
not  have  had  a  more  sacred  and  patriotic  origin ;  but,  in  the 
long  delay  of  national  justice,  the  paper  which  represented 
these  outstanding  claims,  had  sunk  to  less  than  a  sixth  of  its 
nominal  value,  and  the  larger  portion  of  it  had  been  parted 
with  at  that  depreciated  rate,  either  in  the  course  of  trade, 
or  to  speculative  purchasers,  who  were  willing  to  take  the  risk 
of  eventual  payment,  however  little  their  confidence  seemed 
to  be  warranted,  at  the  time,  by  the  pecuniary  condition 
and  prospects  of  the  country. 

The  debt,  when  thus  transferred,  lost  its  commanding 
appeal  to  patriotic  sympathy ;  but  remained  as  obligatory  in 
the  eye  of  justice.  In  public  newspapers,  however,  and  in 
private  circles,  the  propriety  of  a  discrimination  between 
the  assignees  and  the  original  holders  of  the  public  securities, 
was  freely  discussed.  Beside  the  foreign  and  domestic 
debt  of  the  federal  government,  the  States,  individually, 
were  involved  in  liabilities  contracted  for  the  common  cause, 
to  an  aggregate  amount  of  about  twenty-five  millions  of 


227 


dollars ;  of  which,  more  than  one-half  was  due  from  three  of 
them;  Massachusetts  and  South  Carolina  each  owing  more 
than  five  millions',  and  Virginia  more  than  three  and  a  half, 
The  reputation  and  well-being  of  the  government  were, 
therefore,  at  stake  upon  the  issue  of  some  plan  to  retrieve 
the  national  credit,  and  establish  it  upon  a  firm  and  secure 
foundation. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  82. 

A  Virulent  Attack  of  Anthrax 

As  soon  as  Washington  could  command  sufficient  lei- 
sure to  inspect  papers  and  documents  he  called  unofficially 
upon  the  heads  of  departments  to  furnish  him  with  such 
reports  in  writing  as  would  aid  him  in  gaining  a  distinct  idea 
of  the  state  of  public  affairs.  For  this  purpose  also  he  had 
recourse  to  the  public  archives,  and  proceeded  to  make 
notes  of  the  foreign  official  correspondence  from  the  close 
of  the  war  until  his  inauguration.  He  was  interrupted 
in  his  task  by  a  virulent  attack  of  anthrax,  which  for  several 
days  threatened  mortification.  The  knowledge  of  his  peril- 
ous condition  spread  alarm  through  the  community;  he, 
however,  remained  unagitated.  His  medical  adviser  was 
Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  of  New  York,  an  excellent  physician  and 
most  estimable  man,  who  attended  him  with  unremitting 
assiduity.  Being  alone  one  day  with  the  doctor,  Washing- 
ton regarded  him  steadily,  and  asked  his  candid  opinions 
as  the  probable  result  of  the  case.  "  Do  not  flatter ^ne  with 
vain  hopes,  "  said  he,  with  placid  firmness;  "  I  am  not  afraid 
to  die,  and  therefore  can  bear  the  worst."  The  doctor 
expressed  hope,  but  owned  that  he  had  apprehensions. 
"  Whether  to-night  or  twenty  years  hence,  makes  no  differ- 
ence,"  observed  Washington.  "I  know  that  I  am  in  the 
hands  of  a  good  Providence."  His  sufferings  were  intense, 
and  his  recovery  was  slow.  For  six  weeks  he  was  obliged 
to  lie  on  his  right  side;  but  after  a  time  he  had  his  carriage 


228  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

so  contrived  that  he  could  extend  himself  at  full  length  in 
it,  and  take  exercise  in  the  open  air. 

While  rendered  morbidly  sensitive  by  bodily  pains,  he 
suffered  deep  annoyance  from  having  one  of  his  earliest 
nominations,  that  of  Benjamin  Fishburn,  for  the  place  of 
naval  officer  of  the  port  of  Savannah,  rejected  by  the  Senate. 

If  there  was  anything  in  which  Washington  was  scru- 
pulously conscientious,  it  was  in  the  exercise  of  the  nominat- 
ing power ;  scrutinizing  the  fitness  of  the  candidates ;  their 
comparative  claims  on  account  of  public  services  and 
sacrifices,  and  with  regard  to  the  equable  distribution  of 
offices  among  the  States;  in  all  which  he  governed  himself 
solely  by  considerations  for  the  public  good.  He  was 
especially  scrupulous  where  his  own  friends  and  connections 
were  concerned.  "  So  far  as  I  know  my  own  mind,  "  would 
he  say,  "  I  would  not  be  in  the  .remotest  degree  influenced  in 
making  nominations  by  motives  arising  from  the  ties  of 
family  or  blood. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  46. 

"You  See  How  Well  He  Bears  It" 

"  It  was  while  residing  in  Cherry  street  that  the  Presi- 
dent was  attacked  by  a  severe  illness,  that  required  a  surgical 
operation.  He  was  attended  by  the  elder  and  younger 
Doctors  Bard.  The  elder  being  somewhat  doubtful  of  his 
nerves,  gave  the  knife  to  his  son,  bidding  him  cut  away — 
deeper,  deeper  still;  don't  be  afraid;  you  see  how  well  he 
bears  it.'  Great  anxiety  was  felt  in  New  York,  at  this  time, 
as  the  President's  case  was  considered  extremely  danger- 
ous. Happily,  the  operation  proved  successful,  and  the 
patient's  recovery  removed  all  cause  of  alarm.  During  the 
illness  a  chain  was  stretched  across  the  street,  and  the  side- 
walks were  lined  with  straw.  Soon  after  his  recovery,  the 
President  set  out  on  his  intended  tour  through  the  New 
England  States. " 

Quoted  in  The  Pictorial  Life  of  General  Washington,  by  J.  Frost,  LL.D..  p.  509. 


LAUNCHING  THE  SHIP  OF  STATE  229 

Death  of  Washington's  Mother 

While  yet  in  a  state  of  convalescence,  Washington 
received  intelligence  of  the  death  of  his  mother.  The  event, 
which  took  place  at  Fredericksburg  in  Virginia,  on  the  25th 
of  August,  was  not  unexpected;  she  was  eighty-two  years 
of  age,  and  had  for  some  time  been  sinking  under  an  incur- 
able malady,  so  that  when  he  last  parted  with  her  he  had 
apprehended  that  it  was  a  final  separation.  Still  he  was 
deeply  affected  by  the  intelligence;  consoling  himself,  how- 
ever, with  the  reflection  that  "  Heaven  had  spared  her  to  an 
age  beyond  which  few  attain ;  had  favored  her  with  the  full 
enjoyment  of  her  mental  faculties,  and  as  much  bodily 
health  as  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  fourscore. " 

Mrs.  Mary  Washington  is  represented  as  a  woman  of 
strong  plain  sense,  strict  integrity,  and  an  inflexible  spirit 
of  command.  We  have  mentioned  the  exemplary  manner 
in  which  she,  a  lone  widow,  had  trained  her  little  flock  in 
their  childhood.  The  deference  for  her,  then  instilled  in 
their  minds,  continued  throughout  life,  and  was  manifested 
by  Washington  when  at  the  height  of  his  power  and  reputa- 
tion. Eminently  practical,  she  had  thwarted  his  military 
aspirings  when  he  was  about  to  seek  honor  in  the  British 
navy.  During  his  early  and  disastrous  campaigns  on  the 
frontier  she  would  often  shake  her  head  and  exclaim,  "Ah, 
George  had  better  have  staid  at  home  and  cultivated  his 
farm."  Even  his  ultimate  success  and  renown  had  never 
dazzled,  however  much  they  may  have  gratified  her.  When 
others  congratulated  her,  and  were  enthusiastic  in  his  praise, 
she  listened  in  silence,  and  Would  temperately  reply  that  he 
had  been  a  good  son,  and  she  believed  he  had  done  his  duty 
as  a  man. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V  p.  49. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

VISITING  THE  STATES 

Boston  Authorities  Quarrel  over  Receiving  the   President 

At  the  time  of  writing  the  letter  to  Jefferson,  offering  him 
the  department  of  State,  Washington  was  on  the  eve  of 
a  journey  through  the  Eastern  States,  with  a  view,  as  he 
said,  to  observe  the  situation  of  the  country,  and  with  a  hope 
of  perfectly  reestablishing  his  health,  which  a  series  0f  indis- 
positions had  much  impaired.  Having  made  all  his  arrange- 
ments, and  left  the  papers  appertaining  to  the  office  of 
Foreign  Affairs  under  the  temporary  superintendence  of 
Mr.  Jay,  he  set  out  from  New  York  on  the  i5th  of  October, 
traveling  in  his  carriage  with  four  horses,  and  accompanied 
by  his  official  secretary,  Major  Jackson,  and  his  private 
secretary,  Mr.  Lear.  Though  averse  from  public  parade, 
he  could  not  but  be  deeply  affected  and  gratified  at  every 
step  by  the  manifestation  of  a  people's  love.  Wherever 
he  came,  all  labor  was  suspended ;  business  neglected.  The 
bells  were  rung,  the  guns  were  fired  ;  there  were  civic  pro- 
cessions and  military  parades  and  triamphal  arches,  and  all 
classes  poured  forth  to  testify,  in  every  possible  manner, 
their  gratitude  and  affection  for  the  man  whom  they  hailed 
as  the  Father  of  his  Country;  and  well  did  his  noble  stature, 
his  dignified  demeanor,  his  matured  years,  and  his  benev- 
olent aspect,  suit  that  venerable  appellation. 

On  the  22nd,  just  after  entering  Massachusetts,  he 
was  met  by  an  express  from  the  governor  of  the  State  (the 
Hon.  John  Hancock),  inviting  him  to  make  his  quarters 
at  his  house  while  he  should  remain  in  Boston,  and  announc- 
ing to  him  that  he  had  issued  orders  for  proper  escorts  to 
attend  him,  and  that  the  troops  with  the  gentlemen  of  the 

(230) 


VISITING  THE  STATES.  231 

council  would  receive  him  at  Cambridge  and  wait  on  him  to 
town. 

Washington,  in  a  courteous  reply,  declined  the  Gover- 
nor's invitation  to  his  residence,  having  resolved,  he  said, 
on  leaving  New  York,  to  accept  no  invitations  of  the  kind 
while  on  his  journey,  through  an  unwillingness  to  give  trouble 
to  private  families.  .  .  .  Governor  Hancock  was  now 
about  fifty-two  years  of  age,  tall  and  thin,  of  a  commanding 
deportment  and  graceful  manner,  though  stooping  a  little, 
and  much  afflicted  with  the  gout.  He  was  really  hospitable, 
which  his  ample  wealth  enabled  him  to  be,  and  was  no 
doubt  desirous  of  having  Washington  as  a  guest  under  his 
roof,  but  resolved  at  all  events,  to  give  him  a  signal  reception 
as  the  guest  of  the  State  over  which  he  presided.  Now  it  so 
happened  that  the  "select  men,"  or  municipal  authorities 
of  Boston,  had  also  made  arrangements  for  receiving  the 
President  in  their  civic  domain,  and  in  doing  so  had  pro- 
ceeded without  consulting  the  governor ;  as  might  have  been 
expected,  some  clashing  of  rival  plans  was  the  result. 

Here  ensued  a  great  question  of  etiquette.  The  execu- 
tive council  insisted  on  the  right  of  the  governor,  as  chief 
of  state,  to  receive  and  welcome  its  guest,  at  the  entrance 
of  its  capital.  "  He  should  have  met  him  at  the  boundary 
of  the  State  over  which  he  presides,"  replied  the  others; 
"and  there  have  welcomed  him  to  the  hospitalities  of  the 
commonwealth.  When  the  President  is  about  to  enter  the 
town,  it  is  the  delegated  right  of  the  municipal  authorities 
thereof  to  receive  and  bid  him  welcome." 

The  contending  parties  were  drawn  up  resolutely  in 
their  carriages,  while  aides-de-camp  and  marshals  were 
posting  to  and  fro  between  them,  carrying  on  a  kind  of  dip- 
lomatic parley. 

In  the  meantime  the  President,  and  Major  Jackson,  his 
secretary,  had  mounted  on  horseback,  and  were  waiting  on 
the  Neck  to  be  conducted  into  the  town.  The  day  was 
unusually  cold  and  murky.  Washington  became  chilled 


23 2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  impatient,  and  when  informed  of  the  cause  of  the 
detention,  "Is  there  no  other  avenue  into  the  town?" 
demanded  he  of  Major  Jackson.  He  was,  in  fact,  on  the 
point  of  wheeling  about,  when  word  was  brought  that  the 
controversy  was  over,  and  that  he  would  be  received  by 
the  municipal  authorities. 

We  give  his  own  account  of  the  succeeding  part  of  the 
ceremony.  "At  the  entrance,  I  was  welcomed  by  the  select 
men  in  a  body.  Then  following  the  lieutenant-governor 
and  council  in  the  order  we  came  from  Cambridge  (preceded 
by  the  town  corps,  very  handsomely  dressed),  we  passed 
through  the  citizens,  classed  in  their  different  professions, 
and  under  their  own  banners,  till  we  came  to  the  state 
house." 

The  streets,  the  doors,  the  windows,  the  housetops, 
were  crowded  with  well-dressed  people  of  both  sexes.  "  He 
was  on  horseback,"  says  an  observer,  "dressed  in  his  old 
continental  uniform,  with  his  hat  off.  He  did  not  bow  to  the 
spectators  as  he  passed,  but  sat  on  his  horse  with  a  calm, 
dignified  air.  He  dismounted  at  the  old  state  house, 
and  came  out  on  a  temporary  balcony  at  the  west 
end ;  a  long  procession  passed  before  him,  whose  salutations 
he  occasionally  returned.  These  and  other  ceremonials 
being  over,  the  lieutenant  governor  and  council,  accom- 
panied by  the  Vice-President,  conducted  Washington  to  his 
lodgings,  where  they  took  leave  of  him." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  67. 

Governor  Hancock's  Ludicrous  Call  on  the  President 

And  now  he  is  doomed  to  the  annoyance  of  a  new  ques- 
tion of  etiquette.  He  had  previously  accepted  the  invita- 
tion of  Governor  Hancock  to  an  informal  dinner,  but  had 
expected  that  that  functionary  would  wait  upon  him  as  soon 
as  he  should  arrive ;  instead  of  which  he  received  a  message 
from  him  pleading  that  he  was  too  much  indisposed  to  do  so. 
Washington  distrusted  the  sincerity  of  the  apology.  He 


233 


had  been  given  to  understand  that  the  governor  wished  to 
evade  paying  the  first  visit,  conceiving  that,  as  governor 
of  a  State,  and  within  the  bounds  of  that  State,  the  point  of 
etiquette  made  it  proper  that  he  should  receive  the  first  visit, 
ev^en  from  the  President  of  the  United  States.  Washington 
determined  to  resist  this  pretension;  he  therefore  excused 
himself  from  the  informal  dinner,  and  dined  at  his  lodgings, 
where  the  Vice-President  favored  him  with  his  company. 

The  next  day  the  governor,  on  consultation  with  his 
friends,  was  persuaded  to  waive  the  point  of  etiquette,  and 
sent  "his  best  respects  to  the  President,"  informing  him 
that,  if  at  home  and  at  leisure,  he  would  do  himself  the  honor 
of  visiting  him  in  half  an  hour,  intimating  that  he  would  have 
done  it  sooner  had  his  health  permitted,  and  that  it  was 
not  without  hazard  to  his  health  that  he  did  it  now. 

The  following  was  Washington's  reply,  the  last  sentence 
of  which  almost  savors  of  irony: 

"  Sunday,  26th  October,  i  o'clock. 

"The  President  of  the  United  States  presents  his  best 
respects  to  the  Governor,  and  has  the  honor  to  inform  him 
that  he  shall  be  home  till  two  o'clock. 

"The  President  need  not  express  the  pleasure  it  will 
give  him  to  see  the  Governor ;  but  at  the  same  time,  he  most 
earnestly  begs  that  the  Governor  will  not  hazard  his  health 
on  the  occasion." 

From  Washington's  diary  we  find  that  the  governor 
found  strength  to  pay  the  litigated  visit  within  the  specified 
time — though,  according  to  one  authority,  he  went  envel- 
oped in  red  baize  and  was  borne,  in  the  arms  of  servants, 
into  the  house. 

It  does  not  appear  that  any  harm  resulted  from  the 
hazard  to  which  the  Governor  exposed  himself.  At  all 
events,  the  hydra  etiquette  was  silenced  and  everything 
went  on  pleasantly  and  decorously  throughout  the  remainder 
of  Washington's  sojourn  in  Boston. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  71. 


234  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  I  Thought  You  Had  Been  Too  Long  in  My  Family  Not  to 

Know" 

When  he  visited  Boston  in  1789,  he  appointed  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  as  the  hour  he  should  set  out  for 
Salem;  and  while  the  Old  South  clock  was  striking  eight, 
he  was  crossing  the  saddle.  The  company  of  cavalry  which 
volunteered  to  escort  him,  not  anticipating  this  strict 
punctuality,  were  parading  in  Tremont  street  after  his 
departure;  and  it  was  not  until  the  President  had  reached 
Charles  River  bridge  where  he  stopped  a  few  moments, 
that  the  troop  of  horse  overtook  him.  On  passing  the 
corps,  the  President  said,  with  perfect  good  nature, 

"  Major  Blank,  I  thought  you  had  been  too  long  in  my 
family  not  to  know  when  it  was  eight  o'clock." 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  94. 

Kissing  and  Kicking  for  Kissing 

In  Haverhill,  Mass.,  they  have  a  pretty  tradition  about 
Washington.  When  he  visited  that  town,  on  his  Northern 
tour  in  1789,  he  stopped  at  a  public-house.  As  the  night 
was  chilly,  the  landlady  decided  that  his  bed  should  be 
warmed,  and  for  this  purpose  filled  with  coals  her  best  brass 
warming-pan,  and  sent  it  up  to  his  chamber  in  the  hands 
of  her  fair  young  daughter.  The  tradition  goes  on  to  say 
that  this  modest  maiden  was  so  overcome  by  the  sight  of  the 
great  man,  standing  on  the  hearth,  winding  up  his  watch, 
that  she  hurried  through  her  task,  but  in  tripping  from  the 
room  she  unluckily,  or  luckily,  as  the  event  proved,  stumbled 
and  fell,  and  that  Washingon  not  only  lifted  her  to  her  feet, 
but  kissed  her. 

Well  was  it  for  the  "immortal  chief"  that  no  Yankee 
Prince  Giglio  appeared  on  the  scene,  to  come  down  on  that 
anointed  head  with  the  warming-pan! 

Now,  they  have  in  Philadelphia  a  tradition  which 
strikingly  contrasts  with  the  above.  When  Washington  was 


VISITING  THE  STATES 


residing  in  the  presidential  mansion  on  High  Street,  now 
Market,  some  painters  were  engaged  in  painting  the  upper 
hall,  and  one  of  them,  a  gay  young  fellow,  meeting  one 
morning,  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  a  favorite  maid  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  not  only  barred  her  passage  but  kissed  her. 
Taken  by  surprise,  the  damsel  sent  forth  a  scream  which 
brought  the  Father  of  his  Country  in  alarm  from  his  chamber. 
Immediately  on  the  offense  being  made  known  to  him,  he 
elevated  his  foot,  which  was  by  no  means  a  small  one,  and 
kicked  the  unlucky  painter  downstairs. 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  10. 


"Hail  Columbia,"  the  President's  March 

"There  was  but  one  theater  in  New  York  in  1789, 
(in  John  street)  and  so  small  were  its  dimensions,  that  the 
whole  fabric  might  be  placed  upon  the  stage  of  one  of  our 
modern  theaters.  Yet,  humble  as  was  the  edifice,  it  pos- 
sessed an  excellent  company  of  actors  and  actresses,  includ- 
ing old  Morris,  who  was  the  associate  of  Garrick,  in  the 
very  outset  of  that  great  actor's  career  at  Goodmans-fields. 
The  stage  boxes  were  appropriated  to  the  President  and  Vice- 
President,  and  were  each  of  them  decorated  with  emblems, 
trophies,  etc.  At  the  foot  of  the  play-bills  were  always  the 
words  'Vivat  Respublica:'  Washington  often  visited  this 
theatre,  being  particularly  gratified  by  Wignell's  performance 
of  Darby,  The  Poor  Soldier. 

"  It  was  in  the  theater  of  John  street,  that  the  now 
national  air  of  'Hail  Columbia,'  then  called  the  'President's 
March,'  was  first  played.  It  was  composed  by  a  German 
musician,  named  Fyles,  the  leader  of  the  orchestra,  in  com- 
pliment to  the  President.  The  national  air  will  last  as  long 
as  the  nation  lasts,  while  the  meritorious  composer  has  been 
long  since  forgotten.  " 

Quoted  in  the  Pictorial  Life  of  George  Washington,  by  J.  Frost,  LL.D.,  p.  508. 


236  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  First  Week  in  1790 

(From  Washington's  Journal.) 

Friday,    ist,   [January]. 

The  Vice-President,  the  Governor,  the  Senators,  Mem- 
bers of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  town,  foreign  public 
characters,  and  all  the  respectable  citizens,  came  between 
the  hours  of  12  and  3  o'clock,  to  pay  the  compliments  of  the 
season  to  me — and  in  the  afternoon  a  great  number  of  gen- 
tlemen and  ladies  visited  Mrs.  Washington  on  the  same 
occasion. 

Saturday,  2d. 

Exercised  in  the  carriage  with  Mrs.  Washington.  Read 
the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  respecting  the 
state  of  his  Department  and  proposed  plans  of  finance. — 
Drank  tea  at  the  Chief  Justice's  of  the  U.  States. 

Sunday,  3d. 
Went  to  St.  Paul's  Chapel. 

Monday,  4th. 

Informed  the  President  of  the  Senate,  and  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  that  I  had  some  oral  com- 
munications to  make  to  Congress  when  each  house  had  a 
quorum,  and  desired  to  be  informed  thereof — and  of  the 
time  and  place  they  would  receive  them. 

Walked  round  the  Battery  in  the  afternoon. 

Received  a  report  from  the  Secretary  at  War  respecting 
the  state  of  the  frontiers  and  Indian  affairs,  with  other 
matters  which  I  ordered  to  be  laid  before  Congress,  as  part 
of  the  papers  which  will  be  referred  to  in  my  speech  to  that 
body. 

Tuesday,  5th. 

Several  Members  of  Congress  called  in  the  forenoon  to 
pay  their  respects  on  their  arrival  in  town,  but  though  a 


Etched  by~  H.  /?.  If  all  from  the  Painting  Inj  Rembrandt  Peale. 
A  FAMOUS  PORTRAIT  OF  WASHINGTON 


VISITING  THE  STATES  237 

respectable  Levee,   at   the   usual    hour,  three   o'clock,  the 

visitors  were  not  numeious. 

« 

Wednesday,  6th. 

Sat  from  half  after  8  o'clock  for  the  portrait  painter, 
Mr.  Savage,  to  finish  the  picture  of  me  which  he  had  begun 
for  the  University  of  Cambridge. 

In  the  afternoon  walked  round  the  Battery. 

Miss  Anne  Brown  stayed  here,  on  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, to  a  family  Dinner. 

Thursday,  yth. 

About  one  o'clock  rec'd  a  Committee  from  both  Houses 
of  Congress,  informing  me  that  each  had  made  a  house,  and 
would  be  ready  at  any  time  I  would  appoint  to  receive  the 
communications  I  had  to  make  in  the  Senate  Chamber. 
Named  to-morrow,  u  o'clock,  for  this  purpose. 

The  following  gentlemen  dined  here,  viz :  Messrs.  Lang- 
don,  Wingate,  Strong  and  Few,  of  the  Senate,  the  Speaker, 
Genl.  Muhlenberg  and  Scott,  of  Pennsylvania,  Judge  Liver- 
more  and  Foster,  of  New  Hampshire,  Aimes  and  Thatcher 
and  Goodhue  of  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Burke,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  Mr.  Baldwin,  of  Georgia. 

The  Diary  of  George  Washington,  from  1789  to  IJQI,  Edited  by  Benson  J.  Lossing, 
p.  65. 

The  President's  "Speech"  and  a  Minor  "Message" 

Friday,  8th.     [January,  1790.] 

According  to  appointment,  at  n  o'clock,  I  set  out  for 
the  City  Hall  in  my  coach,  preceded  by  Colonel  Humphreys 
and  Majr.  Jackson  in  uniform,  (on  my  two  white  horses) 
and  followed  by  Messer.  Lear  and  Nelson,  in  my  chariot, 
and  Mr.  Lewis,  on  horseback  following  them.  In  their  rear 
was  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  and  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  .  and  War  Departments,  in  their  respective 
carriages,  and  in  the  order  they  are  named.  At  the  outer 
door  of  the  hall  I  was  met  by  the  door-keepers  of  the  Senate 


238  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  House,  and  conducted  to  the  door  of  the  Senate  Cham- 
ber ;  and  passing  from  thence  to  the  Chair  through  the  Senate 
on  the  right,  and  House  of  Representatives  on  the  left,  I 
took  my  seat.  The  gentlemen  who  attended  me  followed 
and  took  their  stand  behind  the  Senators;  the  whole  rising 
as  I  entered.  After  being  seated,  at  which  time  the  mem- 
bers of  both  Houses  also  sat,  I  rose,  (as  they  also  did)  and 
made  my  speech;  delivering  one  copy  to  the  President 
of  the  Senate,  and  another  to  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  —  after  which,  and  being  a  few  moments 
seated,  I  retired,  bowing  on  each  side  to  the  assembly  (who 
vStood)  as  I  passed,  and  descending  to  the  lower  hall,  attended 
as  before,  I  returned  with  them  to  my  house. 

In  the  evening  a  great  number  of  ladies;  and  many 
ladies,  and  many  gentlemen  visited  Mrs.  Washington. 

On  this  occasion  I  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  clothes  made 
at  the  Woolen  Manufactory  at  Hartford,  as  the  buttons 
also  were. 


Saturday, 

Exercised  with  Mrs.  Washington  and  the  children  in 
the  coach  the  14  miles  round.  In  the  afternoon  walked 
round  the  Battery. 

Sunday,  loth.    ..' 

Went  to  St.  Paul's  Chapel  in  the  forenoon  —  wrote 
private  letters  in  the  afternoon  for  the  Southern  mail. 

Monday,  nth. 

Sent  my  instructions  to  the  Commissioners  (appointed 
to  negotiate  a  Treaty  with  the  Creek  Indians)  with  the 
report  of  their  proceedings,  to  the  Senate  by  the  Secretary 
at  War,  previous  to  their  being  laid  before  them  and  the 
other  house  in  their  legislative  capacities. 

Also  communicated  to  both  Houses,  transcripts  of 
the  adoption  and  ratification  of  the  New  Constitution  by 
the  State  of  North  Carolina,  with  copies  of  the  letter  from 


VISITING  THE  STATES  239 

His  Excellency,  Saml.  Johnson,  President  of  the  Convention, 
enclosing  the  same.  These  were  sent  by  my  private  Secre- 
tary, Mr.  Lear. 

Tlie  Diary  of  George  Washington,  from  1780  to  1791,  Edited  by  Benson  J.  Losang 
P.  67. 

Exercises,  Addresses,  Levies  and  an  Aching  Tooth 

Tuesday,  i2th  [January,  1790]. 

Exercised  on  horseback  between  10  and  12 — ye  riding 
bad.  Previous  to  this,  I  sent  written  messages  to  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  informing  them  that  the  Secretary  at 
War  would  lay  before  them  a  full  and  complete  statement 
of  the  business  as  it  respected  the  negotiation  with  the  Creek 
Indians — my  instructions  to,  and  the  Commissioners'  report 
of  their  proceedings  with  those  people — the  letters  and  other 
papers  respecting  depredations  on  the  western  frontiers  of 
Virginia,  and  District  of  Kentucky.  All  of  which  was  for 
their  full  information,  but  communicated  in  confidence,  and 
under  injunction  that  no  copies  be  taken,  or  communications 
made  of  such  parts  as  ought  to  be  kept  secret. 

About  two  o'clock  a  Committee  of  the  Senate  waited 
on  me  with  a  copy  of  their  address,  in  answer  to  my  speech, 
and  requesting  to  know  at  what  time  and  place  it  should  be 
presented,  I  named  my  own  house,  and  Thursday  next,  at 
ii  o'clock,  for  the  purpose. 

Just  before  the  Levee  hour,  a  Committee  from  the 
House  of  Representatives  called  upon  me  to  know  when  and 
where  they  should  deliver  their  address.  ,  I  named  twelve 
o'clock  on  Thursday;  but  finding  it  was  their  wish  it  should 
be  presented  at  the  Federal  Hall,  and  offering  to  surrender 
the  Representatives'  Chamber  for  this  purpose,  by  retiring 
into  one  of  the  Committee  rooms,  and  there  waiting  till  I 
was  ready  to  receive  it,  I  would  consider  on  the  place,  and 
let  them  know  my  determination  before  the  House  should 
sit  to-morrow. 

A  respectable,  though  not  a  full  Levee  to-day. 


24o  THE  STORY  -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Wednesday, 

After  duly  considering  on  the  place  for  receiving  the 
address  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  I  concluded  that  it 
would  be  best  to  do  it  in  my  own  house—  first,  because  it 
seems  most  consistent  with  usage  and  custom  —  2d,  because 
there  is  no  third  place  in  the  Federal  Hall  (prepared)  to 
which  I  could  call  them,  and  to  go  into  either  of  the  chambers 
appropriated  to  the  Senate  or  Representatives,  did  not 
appear  proper;  and  3d,  because  I  had  appointed  my  own 
house  for  the  Senate  to  deliver  theirs  in,  and  accordingly 
appointed  my  own  house  to  receive  it. 

Thursday,  i4th. 

At  the  hours  appointed,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives presented  their  respective  addresses  —  the  mem- 
bers of  both  coming  in  carriages,  and  the  latter  with  the 
Mace  preceding  the  Speaker.  The  address  of  the  Senate 
was  presented  by  the  Vice-President  —  and  that  of  the 
House  by  the  Speaker  thereof. 

The  following  gentlemen  dined  here  to-day,  viz: 
Messrs.  Henry  and  Maclay,  of  the  Senate  —  and  Messrs. 
Wadsworth,  Trumbull,  Floyd,  Boudinot,  Wynkoop,  Seney, 
Page,  Lee,  and  Matthews,  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
and  Mr.  John  Trumbull. 


Friday, 

Snowing  all  day  —  but  few  ladies  and  gentlemen  as 
visitors  this  evening  to  Mrs.  Washington. 

Saturday,  i6th. 

Exercised  in  the  coach  with  Mrs.  Washington  and  the 
two  children,  about  12  o'clock. 

Sent  the  Report  of  the  Post  Master  General  relative  to 
the  necessary  changes  in  that  office  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  that  it  may  be  laid  before  Congress  —  or  such  parts 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary  for  their  information. 


VISITING  THE  STATES  24I 

Sunday,  iyth. 
At  home  all  day — not  well. 

Monday,  i8th. 

Still  indisposed  with  an  aching  tooth,  and  swelled  and 
inflamed  gums. 

Tuesday,  ipth. 

Not  much  company  at  the  Levee  to-day — but  the  visi- 
tors were  respectable. 

The  Diary  of  George  Washington    from  1789  to  1791,  Edited  by  Benson  J    Lossing 
p.  69. 

Planning  and  Discussing  a  National  Capital 

Monday,  28th  [March,  1791]. 

Left  Bladensburgh  at  hall  after  six,  &  breakfasted  at 
George  Town  about  8;  where,  having  appointed  the  Com- 
missioners under  the  Residence  Law  to  meet  me,  I  found 
Mr.  Johnson  one  of  them  (&  who  is  Chief  Justice  of  the 
State)  in  waiting — &  soon  after  came  in  David  Stuart,  & 
Danl.  Carroll  Esqrs.  the  other  two. — A  few  miles  out  of 
Town  I  was  met  by  the  principal  Citizens  of  the  place  and 
escorted  in  by  them;  and  dined  at  Sutor's  tavern  (where  I 
also  lodged)  at  a  public  dinner  given  by  the  Mayor  &  Cor- 
poration— previous  to  which  I  examined  the  Surveys  of 
Mr.  Ellicot  who  had  been  sent  to  lay  out  the  district  of  ten 
miles  square  for  the  federal  seat;  and  also  the  works  of 
Majr.  L' Enfant  who  had  been  engaged,  to  examine  &  make 
a  draught  of  the  grds.  in  the  vicinity  of  George  Town  and 
Carrollsburg  on  the  Eastern  branch  making  arrangements 
for  examining  the  ground  myself  to  morrow  with  the 
Commissioners. 

Tuesday,  2Qth. 

In  a  thick  mist,  and  under  strong  appearances  of 
settled  rairi  (which  however  did  not  happen)  I  set  out 
about  seven  o'clock,  for  the  purpose  above  mentioned — 


242  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

but  from  the  unfavorableness  of  the  day,  I  derived  no  great 
satisfaction  from  the  review. 

Finding  the  interests  of  the  Landholders  about  George- 
town and  those  about  Carrollsburgh  much  at  varience  and 
that  their  fears  and  jealousies  of  each  were  counteracting 
the  public  purposes  &  might  prove  injurious  to  its  best 
interests  whilst  if  properly  managed  they  might  be  made 
to  subserve  it — I  requested  them  to  meet  me  at  six  o'clock 
this  afternoon  at  my  lodgings  which  they  accordingly  did. 

To  this  meeting  I  represented  that  the  contention  in 
which  they  seemed  to  be  engaged,  did  not  in  my  opinion 
comport  either  with  the  public  interest  or  that  of  their 
own; — that  while  each  party  was  aiming  to  obtain  the 
public  buildings,  they  might  by  placing  the  matter  on  a 
contracted  scale,  defeat  the  measure  altogether;  not  only 
by  procrastination  but  for  want  of  the  means  necessary  to 
effect  the  work; — That  neither  the  offer  from  George-town 
or  Carrollsburgh,  separately,  was  adequate  to  the  end  of 
insuring  the  object. — That  both  together  did  not  compre- 
hend more  ground  nor  would  afford  greater  -  means  than 
was  required  for  the  federal  City; — and  that,  instead  of 
contending  which  of  the  two  should  have  it  they  had  better, 
by  combining  more  offers  make  a  common  cause  of  it,  and 
thereby  secure  it  to  the  district — other  arguments  were 
used  to  show  the  danger  which  might  result  from  delay 
and  the  good  effects  that  might  proceed  from  a  Union. 

Dined  at  Col.  Forrest's  to  day  with  the  Commissioners 
&  others. 

Wednesday,  3oth. 

The  parties  to  whom  I  addressed  myself  yesterday 
evening,  having  taken  the  matter  into  consideration  saw 
the  propriety  of  my  observations;  and  that  whilst  they 
were  contending  for  the  shadow  they  might  loose  the  sub- 
stance; and  therefore  mutually  agreed  and  entered  into 
articles  to  surrender  for  public  purposes,  one  half  of  the  land 


VISITING  THE  STATES  243 

they  severally  possessed  within  bounds  which  were  desig- 
nated as  necessary  for  the  City  to  stand  with  some  other 
stipulations,  which  were  inserted  in  the  instrument  which 
they  respectively  subscribed. 

This  business  being  thus  happily  finished  and  some 
directions  given  to  the  Commissioners,  the  Surveyor  and 
Engineer  with  respect  to  the  mode  of  laying  out  the  dis- 
trict— Surveying  the  grounds  for  the  City  &  forming  them 
into  lots — I  left  Georgetown— dined  in  Alexandria  & 
reached  Mount  Vernon  in  the  evening. 

The  Diary  of  George  Washington,  from  1789  to  ijgi.  Edited  by  Benson  J.  Lossing, 
p.  158. 

Resting  on  Southern  Tour  at  Mount  Vernon  ' 

Thursday,  3ist,  [March,  1791]. 

From  this  time,  until  the  yth  of  April,  I  remained  at 
Mount  Vernon  -visiting  my  Plantations  every  day. — and 
was  obliged  also,  consequence  of  Colo.  Henry  Lee's  de- 
clining to  accept  the  command  of  one  of  the  Regiments 
of  Levies  and  the  request  of  the  Secretary  at  War  to  appoint 
those  officers  which  had  been  left  to  Colo.  Lee  to  do  for 
a  Battalion  to  be  raised  in  Virginia  East  of  the  Alligany 
Mountains  to  delay  my  journey  on  this  account — and  after 
all,  to  commit  the  business  as  will  appear  by  the  letters  &  for 
the  reasons  there  mentioned  to  Colo.  Darke's  management. 

From  hence  I  also  wrote  letters  to  the  Secretaries  of 
State, — Treasury— and  War,  in  answer  to  those  received 
on  interesting  subjects — desiring  in  case  of  important 
occurances  they  would  hold  a  consultation  and  if  they  were 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  make  my  return  necessary  to  give  me 
notice  &  I  would  return  immediately.  My  Rout  was  given 
them  &  the  time  I  should  be  at  the  particular  places  therein 
mentioned. 

Thursday,  7  April. 

Recommenced  my  journey  with  Horses  apparently 
much  refreshed  and  in  good  spirits. 


244  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

In  attempting  to  cross  the  ferry  at  Colchester  with  the 
four  Horses  hitched  to  the  Chariot  by  the  neglect  of  the 
person  who  stood  before  them,  one  of  the  leaders  got  over- 
board when -the  boat  was  in  swimming  water  and  50  yards 
from  the  shore — with  much  difficulty  he  escaped  drowning 
before  he  could  be  disengaged — His  struggling  frightened 
the  others  in  such  a  manner  that  one  after  another  and  in 
quick  succession  they  all  got  overboard  harnessed  &  fastened 
as  they  were  and  with  the  utmost  difficulty  they  were  saved 
&  the  Carriage  escaped  being  dragged  after  them,  as  the 
whole  of  it  happened  in  swimming  water  &  at  a  distance 
from  shore — Providentially — indeed  miraculously — by  the 
exertions 'of  people  who  went  off  in  Boats  &  jumped  into 
the  River  as  soon  as  the  Batteau  was  forced  into  wading 
water — no  damage  was  sustained  by  the  horses,  Carriage 
or  harness. 

Proceeded  to  Dumfries  where  I  dined — after  which 
I  visited  &  drank  Tea  with  my  Niece  Mrs.  Thos.  Lee. 

Friday,  8th. 

Set  out  about  6  o'clock — breakfasted  at  Stafford  Court 
House- -dined  and  lodged  at  my  Sister  Lewis's  in  Fred- 
ericksburgh. 

Saturday,  Qth. 

Dined  at  an  entertainment  given  by  the  Citizens  of 
the  town. — Received  and  answered  an  address  from  the 
Corporation. 

Was  informed  by  Mr.  Jno.  Lewis,,  who  had,  not  long 
since  been  in  Richmond  that  Mr.  Patrick  Henry  had  avowed 
his  interest  in  the  Yazoo  Company;  and  made  him  a 
.tender  of  admission  into  it  which  he  declined — but  asking 
if  the  Company  did  not  expect  the  Settlement  of  the  lands 
would  be  disagreeable  to  the  Indians  was  answered  by  Mr. 
Henry  that  the  Co.  intended  to  apply  to  Congress  for 
protection — which,  if  not  granted  they  would  have  recourse 
to  their  own  means  to  protect  the  settlement — That  General 


VISITING  THE  STATES  245 

Scott  had  a  certain  quantity  of  land  (I  think  40,000  acres)  in 
the  Company's  grant  &  was  to  have  the  command  of  the 
force  which  was  to  make  the  establishment — and  moreover— 
that  General  Muhlenburg  had  offered  £1000  for  a  certain 
part  of  the  grant — the  quantity  I  do  not  recollect  if  it  was 
mentioned  to  me. 

The  Diary  of  George  Washington,  from  1780  to  1701,  Edited  by  Benson  J.  Lossing. 
p.  161. 

"  A  Long  Journey  over  the  Devil's  Own  Roads  " 

The  coachman,  John  Pagan,  by  birth  a  Hessian,  was 
tall  and  burly  in  person,  and  an  accomplished  coachman  in 
every  respect.  He  understood  the  mechanism  of  a  carriage, 
and  could  take  to  pieces  and  put. together  again  all  the 
parts,  should  he  meet  with  any  accident  on  his  road.  He 
drove  for  the  President  throughout  his  whole  tour  of  the 
then  Southern  States,  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Savannah, 
and  by  Augusta  and  the  interior  of  South  and  North  Carolina , 
in  the  white  chariot  built  by  Clarke,  of  Philadelphia,  with- 
out the  slightest  accident  or  misfortune  happening  in  so 
long  a  journey. 

On  the  President's  return  Clarke  was  in  attendance  to 
learn  the  success  of  what  he  deemed  his  masterpiece  of  coach- 
making.  No  sooner  had  the  horses  stopped  at  the  door 
of  the  presidential  mansion  than  the  anxious  coach-maker 
was  under  the  body  of  the  white  chariot,  examining  every- 
thing with  a  careful  and  critical  eye,  till  Fagan  shouted 
from  the  box, 

"  All  right,  Mr.  Clarke ;  all  right,  sir ;  not  a  bolt  or  screw 
started  in  a  long  journey  and  over  the  devil's  own  roads. " 

The  delighted  mechanic  now  found  his  hand  grasped 
in  that  of  the  President,  who  complimented  him  upon  his 
workmanship,  assuring  him  that  it  had  been  sufficiently 
tested  in  a  great  variety  of  very  bad  roads.  Clarke,  the 
happiest  of  men,  repaired  to  his  shop,  in  Sixth  street,  where 
he  informed  the  people  of  the  success  of  the  white  chariot, 


246  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  account  of  which  he  had  received  from  the  President's 
own  lips,  when  the  day  ended  in  a  jollification  at  the 
coachmaker's. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son*  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
P.  425. 

The  Gallant  "Ladies'  Man" 

At  his  wife's  receptions  .  .  .  Washington  did  not 
view  himself  as  host,  and  "conversed  without  restraint, 
generally  with  women,  who  rarely  had  other  opportunity 
of  seeing  him,"  which  perhaps  accounts  for  the  statement 
of  another  eye-witness  that  Washington  "looked  very  much 
more  at  ease  than  at  his  own  official  levees."  Sullivan 
adds  that  "the  young  ladies  used  to  throng  around  him, 
and  engaged  him  in  conversation.  There  were  some  of  the 
well-remembered  belles  of  the  day  who  imagined  themselves 
to  be  favorites  with  him.  As  these  were  the  only  oppor- 
tunities which  they  had  for  conversing  with  him,  they  were 
disposed  to  use  them.  "  In  his  Southern  trip  of  1791  Wash- 
ington noted,  with  evident  pleasure,  that  he  "was  visited 
about  2  o'clock,  by  a  great  number  of  the  most  respectable 
ladies  of  Charleston — the  first  honor  of  the  kind  I  had  ever 
experienced  and  it  was  flattering  as  it  was  singular."  And 
that  this  attention  was  not  merely  the  respect  due  to  a  great 
man  is  shown  in  the  letter  of  a  Virginian  woman,  who  wrote 
to  her  correspondent  in  1777,  that  when  "General  Wash- 
ington throws  off  the  Hero  and  takes  up  the  chatty  agree- 
able Companion — he  can  be  down  right  impudent  some- 
times— such  impudence,  Fanny,  as  you  and  I  like." 

Another  feminine  compliment  paid  him  was  a  highly 
laudatory  poem  which  was  enclosed  to  him,  with  a  letter 
begging  forgiveness,  to  which  he  playfully  answered, — 

"You  apply  to  me,  my  dear  Madam,  for  absolution  as 
tho'  I  was  your  father  Confessor;  and  as  tho'  you  had 
committed  a  crime,  great  in  itself,  yet  of  the  venial  class. 
You  have  reason  good — for  I  find  myself  strangely  disposed 


VISITING  THE  STATES  247 

to  be  a  very  indulgent  ghostly  adviser  on  this  occasion; 
and,  notwithstanding  'you  are  the  most  offending  Soul 
alive'  (that  is,  if  it  is  a  crime  to  write  elegant  Poetry)  yet 
if  you  will  come  and  dine  with  me  on  Thursday,  and  go 
thro'  the  proper  course  of  penitence  which  shall  be  prescribed 
I  will  strive  hard  to  assist  you  in  expiating  these  poetical 
trespasses  on  this  side  of  purgatory.  Nay  more,  if  it  rests 
with  me  to  direct  your  future  lucubrations,  I  shall  certainly 
urge  you  to  a  repetition  of  the  same  conduct,  on  purpose 
to  shew  what  an  admirable  knack  you  have  at  confession 
and  reformation;  and  so  without  more  hesitation,  I  shall 
venture  to  command  the  muse,  not  to  be  restrained  by  ill- 
grounded  timidity,  but  to  go  on  and  prosper.  You  see. 
Madam,  when  once  the  woman  has  tempted  us,  and  we  have 
tasted  the  forbidden  fruit,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  checking 
our  appetites,  whatever  the  consequences  may  be.  You 
will,  I  dare  say,  recognize  our  being  the  genuine  Descendants 
of  those  who  are  reputed  to  be  our  great  Progenitors." 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  109. 

"Gentlemen,  We  Are  Punctual  Here" 

Washington  accomplished  the  most  part  of  his  great 
works  with  apparent  ease,  by  a  rigid  observance  of  punc- 
tuality. It  is  known  that  whenever  he  assigned  to  meet 
Congress  at  noon,  he  never  failed  to  be  passing  the  door  when 
the  clock  struck  twelve. 

His  dining  hour  was  at  four,  when  he  always  sat  down 
to  his  table,  allowing  only  five  minutes  for  the  variation  of 
timepieces,  whether  his  guests  were  present  or  not.  It  was 
frequently  the  case  with  new  members  of  Congress,  that  they 
did  not  arrive  until  dinner  was  nearly  half  over;  and  he 
would  remark : 

"Gentlemen,  we  are  punctual  here;  my  ccok  never 
asks  whether  the  company  has  arrived,  but  whether  the 
hour  has. " 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  93. 


248  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"Hearty  Fits  of  Laughter" 

More  than  one  instance  is  told  of  Washington  being 
surprised  into  hearty  fits  of  laughter,  even  during  the  war. 
We  have  recorded  one  caused  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  old  General  Putnam  on  horseback,  with  a  female  prisoner 
en  croupe.  The  following  is  another  which  occurred  at  the 
camp  at  Morristown.  Washington  had  purchased  a  young 
horse  of  great  spirit  and  power.  A  braggadocio  of  the  army, 
vain  of  his  horsemanship,  asked  the  privilege  of  breaking  it. 
Washington  gave  his  consent,  and  with  some  of  his  officers 
attended  to  see  the  horse  receive  his  first  lesson.  After 
much  preparation,  the  pretender  to  equitation  mounted 
into  the  saddle  and  was  making  a  great  display  of  his 
science,  when  the  horse  suddenly  planted  his  forefeet,  threw 
up  his  heels,  and  gave  the  unlucky  Gambado  a  somersault  over 
his  head.  Washington,  a  thorough  horseman,  and  quick  to 
perceive  the  ludicrous  in  these  matters,  was  so  convulsed 
with  laughter  that  we  are  told  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 

Still  another  instance  is  given,  which  occurred  at  the 
return  of  peace,  when  he  was  sailing  in  a  boat  on  the  Hudson, 
and  was  so  overcome  by  the  drollery  of  a  story  told  by  Major 
Fairlie  of  New  York,  of  facetious  memory,  that  he  fell  back 
in  the  boat  in  a  paroxysm  of  laughter. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV,  p    539. 


Leading  Events,  1786  to  1790. 

Shays's  Rebellion  in  Western  Massachusetts 1786 

Convention  meets  and  frames  the  Constitution  ....    1787 

States  adopt  the  Constitution 1788 

Settlement  of  Cincinnati 1788 

Washington  elected  President 1789 

First  inauguration,  in  New  York  City April  30,  1789 

United  States  Government  organized   I7^9 

First  Census  of  the  United  States I79° 

Removal  of  National  Capital  to  Philadelphia i?9° 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE  NATIONAL  CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA 
Removing  to  Philadelphia 

"PHILADELPHIA,    Septf.   5th.   I7QO. 

"Dear  Sir, 

"After  a  pleasant  journey  we  arrived  in  this  city  about 
2  o'clock  on  Thursday  last.  Tomorrow  we  proceed  (if 
Mrs.  Washington's  health  will  permit,  for  she  had  been  much 
indisposed  since  she  came  here)  towards  Mount  Vernon. 

"  The  house  of  Mr.  R.  Morris  had,  previous  to  my  arrival, 
been  taken  by  the  Corporation  for  my  residence.  It  is  the 
best  they  could  get.  It  is.  I  believe,  the  best  Single  house 
in  the  City;  yet  without  additions,  it  is  inadequate  to  the 
commodious  accommodation  of  my  family.  These,  I 
believe  will  be  made. 

"The  first  floor  contains  only  two  public  Rooms  (except 
one  for  the  upper  Servants),  The  second  floor  will  have 
two  public  (drawing)  Rooms  &  with  the  aid  of  one  Room 
with  the  partition  in  it,  in  the  back  building,  will  be  sufficient 
for  the  accommodation  of  Mrs.  Washington  &  the  children 
&  their  maids — besides  affording  me  a  small  place  for 
a  private  study  and  dressing  room.  The  third  story  will 
furnish  you  and  Mrs.  Lear  with  a  good  lodging  Room,— 
a  public  office  (for  there  is  no  place  below  for  one)  and  two 
Rooms  for  the  Gentlemen  of  the  family.  The  Garret  has 
four  good  Rooms  which  must  serve  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde 
(unless  they  should  prefer  the  Room  over  the  Wash  house), 
William — and  such  servants  as  it  may  not  be  better  to  place 
in  the  addition  (as  proposed)  to  the  back  building.  There 
is  a  room  over  the  Stable  (without  a  fireplace,  but  by  means 
of  a  Stove)  may  serve  the  Coachman  and  Postillions-  and 

(249) 


2So  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

there  is  the  smoke  house,  which  possibly  may  be  more  useful 
to  me  for  the  accommodation  of  servants,  than  for  smoking 
of  meat.  The  intention  of  the  addition  to  the  back  Building 
is  to  provide  a  Servant's  Hall,  and  one  or  two  (as  it  will 
afford)  lodging  Rooms  for  the  Servants,  especially  those  who 
are  coupled.  There  is  a  very  good  Wash  house  adjoining 
the  Kitchen  (under  one  of  the  Rooms  already  mentioned). 
There  are  good  Stables,  but  for  12  horses  only,  and  a  Coach 
house  which  will  hold  all  my  carriages.  . 

"The  pressure  of  business  under  which  I  laboured  for 
several  days  before  I  left  New  York,  allowed  me  no  time  to 
enquire  who  of  the  female  servants  it  was  proposed  or 
thought  advisable  to  remove  here,  besides  the  wives  of  the 
footmen, — namely,  James  and  Fidas.  The  Washerwomen, 
I  believe,  are  good,  but  as  they  or  one  of  them  at  least,  has 
a  family  of  children — quere,  whether  it  is  necessary  to  incum- 
ber  the  march, — and  the  family  afterwards  with  them?  I 
neither  contradict  or  advise  the  measure — your  own  judg- 
ment, and  the  circumstances  of  the  case  must  decide  the 
point: — but  unless  there  is  better  reason  than  I  am 
acquainted  with  for  bringing  Mrs.  Lewis,  her  daughter  and 
their  families  along,  they  had  better,  I  should  conceive 
be  left : — but  as  I  never  investigated  the  subject,  I  will  give 
no  decisive  opinion  thereon. 

"As  I  have  got  to  the  end  of  the  paper  and  am  tired, 
I  shall  only  add  that  your  letter  of  the  3d.  with  its  enclosures 
came  safe— and  that  Mrs.  Washington  joins  me  in  best 
wishes  for  Mrs.  Lear  and  yourself.  I  am  sincerely  &  affec- 
tionately— 

"  Yrs. 
"P.  S. 

"  In  a  fortnight  or  20  days  from  this  time,  it  is  expected 
Mr.  Morris  will  have  removed  out  of  the  house.  It  is 
proposed  to  add  bow  windows  to  the  two  public  Rooms  in 
the  South  front  of  the  house,  but  as  all  the  other  apartments 
will  be  close  and  secure  the  sooner  after  that  time  you 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        251 

can  be  in  the  house,  with  the  furniture,  the  better,  that  you 
may  be  well  fixed  and  see  how  matters  go  on  during  my 
absence. 

"MR.  LEAR." 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear.  p.  3. 

The  Pagoda,  Lustre,  Franklin  Stoves,  Chariot  and  Mangle 

"  MOUNT  VERNON,  Septr.  27th.  1790. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  Since  my  last  to  you  (the  date  I  do  not  recollect,  keep- 
ing no  copies  of  my  letters  to  you)  I  have  reed,  yours  of  the 
1 7th.  &  2oth.  Inst.  and  shall  answer  such  parts  of  them  as 
require  it. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  that  the  house  according  to  Mr. 
Morris's  notification  to  you  will  be  ready  about  the  time 
you  had  made  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  my  furni- 
ture, the  mode  of  doing  which,  is,  I  am  persuaded,  the 
cheapest  and  best.  How  have  you  disposed  (for  safety) 
of  the  Pagoda?  It  is  a  delicate  piece  of  stuff  and  will 
require  to  be  tenderly  handled. 

"  I  expected  that  Mr.  Macomb,  if  he  found  that  no  other 
person  was  disposed  to  take  the  house  off  my  hands,  would 
endeavor  to  impose  his  own  terms;  and  allowing  me  only 
;£ioo  for  seven  months  use  of  it,  when  the  rent  (independent 
of  the  houses  I  put  on  the  lots)  is  ^400,  is  a  pretty  strong 
evidence  of  it.  And  if  you  do  not  take  some  measures  to 
see  what  can  be  had  for  the  Wash  house  and  Stable,  he  will 
impose  his  own  terms  there  also.  But  after  all,  we  are  in 
his  power,  and  he  must  do  as  he  pleases  with  us. 

"  As  the  Lustre  is  paid  for  &  securely  packed  up  and  may 
suit  the  largest  drawing  Room  at  Mr.  Morris's,  I  do  not 
incline  to  part  with  it ;  the  Franklin  Stoves  and  other  fixtures, 
if  they  cannot  be  disposed  of  without  loss,  must  be  brought 
round  with  the  other  furniture:  we  may  find  use  for  them. 
Such  things  as  are  freighted  in  the  common  way  (if  the  vessel 


252  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

you  desired  Colo.  Biddle  to  procure  is  unable  to  carry  the 
whole)  had  better  be  of  the  kinds  which  require  least  care. 

"  The  sale  of  the  old  Charriot  was  proper,  for  although 
the  price  is  small  it  will  be  so  much  saved  for  the  public. 
If  much  worn  or  lumbering  articles  could  be  disposed  of 
to  any  tolerable  amount,  might  it  not  be  better  to  sell  them 
at  New  York  &  buy  (if  necessary)  new  ones  at  Philadelphia, 
than  to  pay  freight  for  them  round? 

"  Mrs.  Morris  has  a  mangle  (I  think  they  are  called)  for 
Ironing  of  Clothes,  which,  as  it  is  fixed  in  the  place  where 
it  is  commonly  used,  she  proposed  to  leave  and  take  mine. 
To  this  I  have  no  objection  provided  mine  is  equally  good 
and  convenient;  but  if  I  should  obtain  any  advantage, 
besides  that  of  its  being  up,  and  ready  for  use,  I  am  not 
inclined  to  receive  it. 

"Mrs.  Washington  and  all  of  this  family  unite  in  best 
wishes  for  you  and  Mrs.  Lear,  and  I  am  your  sincere  friend  and 
"Affectionate  Servant," 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  13. 

Rather  "Plain  and  Elegant"  than  "Rich  and  Elegant" 

Congress  reassembled,  according  to  adjournment,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  December,  at  Philadelphia,  which  was 
now,  for  a  time,  the  seat  of  government.  A  house  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Robert .  Morris,  the  financier,  had  been  hired  by 
Washington  for  his  residence,  and  at  his  request,  had 
undergone  additions  and  alterations  "in  a  plain  and  neat, 
and  not  by  any  means  in  an  extravagant  style. " 

His  secretary,  Mr.  Lear,  had  made  every  preparation 
for  his  arrival  and  accommodation,  and,  among  other  things, 
had  spoken  of  the  rich  and  elegant  style  in  which  the  state 
carriage  was  fitted  up. 

"I  had  rather  have  heard,"  replied  Washington,  "that 
my  repaired  coach  was  plain  and  elegant  than  rich  and 
elegant." 

.Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving.  Vol.  V,  p    114. 


as 

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253 


Secretary  Humphreys'  Poetic  License 

"  The  President's  mansion  was  so  limited  in  accommoda- 
tion that  three  of  his  secretaries  were  compelled  to  occupy 
one  room — Humphreys,  Lewis,  and  Nelson. 
About  this  time  Humphreys  was  composing  his  'Widow  of 
Malabar.'  Lewis  and  Nelson,  both  young  men,  were  con- 
tent, after  the  labors  of  the  day,  to  enjoy  a  good  night's 
repose.  But  this  was  often  denied  them;  for  Humphreys, 
when  in  the  vein,  would  rise  from  his  bed  at  any  hour,  and 
with  stentorian  voice,  recite  his  verses.  The  young  men, 
roused  from  their  slumbers,  and  rubbing  their  eyes,  beheld 
a  great,  burly  figure,  en  chemise,  striding  across  the  floor, 
reciting  with  great  emphasis,  particular  passages  from  his 
poem,  and  calling  on  his  room-mates  for  their  approbation. 
Having  in  this  way,  for  a  considerable  time,  'murdered  the 
sleep'  of  his  associates,  Humphreys,  at  length,  wearied  by 
his  exertions,  would  sink  upon  his  pillow  in  a  kind  of  dreamy 
languor.  So  sadly  were  the  young  secretaries  annoyed  by 
the  frequent  outbursts  of  the  poet's  imagination,  that  it  was 
remarked  of  them  that  to  the  end  of  their  lives  .  .  they 
were  never  known  to  evince  the  slightest  taste  for  poetry. ' ' 

Quoted  from  The  National  Intelligencer,  in  The  Pictorial  Life  of  General  Washington, 
J.  Frost,  LL..D.,  p.  500. 

Lafayette  Presents  the  Key  of  the  Bastile 

In  concluding  his  letter,  he  writes:  "Permit  me,  my 
dear  General,  to  offer  you  a  picture  of  the  Bastile,  such  as  it 
was  some  days  after  I  had  given  orders  for  its  demolition. 
I  make  you  homage,  also,  of  the  principal  key  of  this  fortress 
of  despotism.  It  is  a  tribute  which  I  owe  you,  as  son  to  my 
adopted  father,  as  aide-de-camp  to  my  general,  as  missionary 
of  liberty  to  its  patriarch." 

Thomas  Paine  was  to  have  been  the  bearer  of  this  key, 
but  he  forwarded  it  to  Washington  from  London.  "  I  feel 
myself  happy,"  writes  he,  "in  being  the  person  through 
whom  the  marquis  has  conveyed  this  early  trophy  of  the 


2S4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

spoils  of  despotism,  and  the  first  ripe  fruits  of  American 
principles,  transplanted  into  Europe,  to  his  great  master 
and  patron.  That  the  principles  of  America  opened  the 
Bastile  is  not  to  be  doubted,  and,  therefore,  the  key  comes 
to  the  right  place. " 

Washington  received  the  key  with  reverence,  as  "a  token 
of  the  victory  gained  by  liberty  over  despotism" ;  and  it  is  still 
preserved  at  Mount  Vernon,  as  a  precious  historical  relic. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  106. 

The  First  Division  into  Parties 

About  this  time  Washington  received  a  unique  present 
— the  key  of  the  Bastile — from  his  old  associate  Lafayette, 
who  was  at  that  time  the  most  prominent  figure  in  the 
French  Revolution,  that  political  change  not  having  yet 
excited  the  ambitions  of  aspiring  thieves  and  murderers. 
The  first  President  of  the  American  republic  had  every 
reason  to  sympathize  with  his  ally  of  a  few  years  before, 
and  wrote  many  letters  filled  with  expressions  of  hope  and 
cheer.  The  more  noisy  class,  however,  of  American  sym- 
pathizers with  the  French  republicans  was  led  by  Jefferson, 
who,  with  all  his  ability,  never  could  distinguish  between 
abstract  theories  and  the  men  who  professed  them,  so  the 
struggle  in  France  provoked  a  steady  struggle  at  the  Ameri- 
can capital,  which  at  the  end  of  1790,  was  no  longer  New 
York,  but  Philadelphia.  Both  cities  were  gainers  by  the 
change;  the  Quaker  city  had  the  satisfaction  of  having 
the  national  government  within  its  own  geographical  limits, 
and  New  York  could  cease  to  devote  its  entire  attention  to 
political  rumors. 

The  first  year  in  Philadelphia  was  marked  by  the 
division  of  the  people  into  parties,  not  on  any  grounds  of 
necessity,  but  because  two  members  of  the  cabinet — 
Hamilton  and  Jefferson — distrusted  each  other.  These 
wise  men — for  wise  they  certainly  were  in  many  things — 
were  almost  evenly  balanced  in  idiocy  about  things  that 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        255 

they  did  not  understand.  Hamilton  urged  the  establish- 
ment of  a  national  bank ;  that  was  enough  to  make  Jefferson 
the  violent  enemy  of  banks  of  all  kinds,  although  he  was 
utterly  ignorant  of  the  principles  of  finance  and  always 
remained  so  until  he  made  Albert  Gallatin  the  custodian  of 
his  conscience  so  far  as  it  affected  Treasury  affairs.  Jef- 
ferson also  continued  to  insist  that  Hamilton  was  one  of  a 
party  that  wanted  to  establish  a  monarchy — a  fancy  the 
source  of  which  no  one  has  ever  been  able  to  find  in  any 
manner  creditable  to  Jefferson's  sense.  Hamilton's  sus- 
picions consisted  principally  in  imagining  that  Jefferson 
was  a  dangerous  man,  and  as  he  himself  had  been  a  soldier 
and  Was  afraid  of  nobody,  he  never  lost  a  chance  to  strike 
back  at  the  Secretary  of  State.  The  first  followers  the 
combatants  obtained  were  from  the  Cabinet  itself,  Randolph 
uniformly  siding  with  Jefferson,  and  Knox  with  Hamilton, 
both  Randolph  and  Knox  being  far  more  ignorant  than 
their  principals  about  the  points  over  which  disputes 
occurred.  Then  members  of  Congress  began  to  take  sides, 
the  people  of  Philadelphia  followed,  and  the  general  public 
came  later  into  a  battle  that  was  utterly  unnecessary  but 
nevertheless  full  of  fun  for  the  mass  of  the  people,  who  had 
nothing  to  lose  and  could  spare  unlimited  quantities  of  talk, 
which  was  the  only  ammunition  called  for.  The  rise  of 
parties  meant  merely  the  fall  of  man  and  parties  continue 
to  exist  because  when  man  falls  on  account  of  an  overload 
of  prejudices,  he  finds  it  hard  work  to  get  up  again. 

Fortunately  the  Cabinet  discussions  were  not  all  on 
politics.  The  Indians  were  troublesome  on  the  border,  as 
Indians  always  will  be  when  swindled  and  abused  by  traders 
and  land-grabbers,  and  expeditions  sent  against  them  had 
cost  much  money  and  many  men  and  brought  nothing  but 
disaster.  Congressmen,  too,  had  learned  the  art  of  fighting 
viciously,  and  the  rival  political  newspapers  of  the  capital 
never  let  the  truth  stand  in  the  way  of  a  cutting  paragraph, 
so  Jefferson  and  Hamilton  &d  not  monopolize  the  fighting. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  283. 


356  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  Discharging  of  Reuben  Rouzy  and  His  Debt 

One  Reuben  Rouzy,  of  Virginia,  owed  the  great  general 
about  i  ,000  pounds.  While  President  of  the  United  States, 
one  of  his  agents  brought  an  action  for  the  money;  judg- 
ment was  obtained,  and  execution  issued  against  the  body 
of  the  defendant,  who  was  taken  to  jail.  He  had  a  con- 
siderable landed  estate,  but  this  kind  of  property  cannot 
be  sold  in  Virginia  for  debts,  unless  at  the  discretion  of  the 
person.  He  bad  a  large  family,  and  for  the  sake  of  his 
children  preferred  lying  in  jail  to  selling  his  land. 

A  friend  hinted  to  him  that  probably  General  Wash- 
ington did  not  know  anything  of  the  proceedings  and  it 
might  be  well  to  send  him  a  petition,  with  a  statement  of  the 
circumstances.  He  did  so;  and  the  very  next  post  from 
Philadelphia,  after  the  arrival  of  the  petition  in  that  city, 
brought  him  an  order  for  his  immediate  release,  together 
with  a  full  discharge,  and  a  severe  reprimand  to  the  agent 
for  having  acted  in  such  a  manner. 

Poor  Rouzy  was  in  consequence  restored  to  his  family, 
who  never  laid  down  their  heads  at  night  without  presenting 
prayers  to  Heaven  for- their  "  beloved  Washington.  "  Provi- 
dence smiled  upon  the  la,bors  of  the  grateful  family,  and  in 
a  few  years  Rouzy  enjoyed  the  exquisite  pleasure  of  being 
able  to  lay  the  1,000  pounds  at  the  feet  of  the  truly  great 
man.  Washington  reminded  him  that  the  debt  was  dis- 
charged. Rouzy  replied  that  the  debt  of  the  family  to  the 
Father  of  his  Country  and  preserver  of  their  parent  could 
never  be  discharged ;  and  the  General,  to  avoid  the  pleasing 
importunity  of  the  grateful  Virginian,  who  would  not  be 
denied,  accepted  the  money, — only,  however,  to  divide 
it  among  Rouzy's  children,  which  he  immediately  did. 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston,  1833),  p.  89. 

"His  Horse  Levees" 

I  asked  Mr.  Gray  if  he  remembered  the  Custis  children. 
"Yes,"  he  said;  "I  often  saw  them  at  the  windows,  or 
driving  out  with  Mrs.  Washington  in  her  English  coach. " 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        257 

They  did  not  seem  to  have  left  a  very  vivid  and  human 
impression  on  his  memory.  With  their  fine  clothes  and 
company  manners,  with  their  attendants,  tutors,  dancing 
and  music  masters,  they  must  have  seemed  very  strange, 
inaccessible,  and  unenviable  little  personages  to  all  the 
happy,  free-and-easy  children  of  the  neighborhood. 

"  Do  you  remember  Washington's  levees  and  Mrs. 
Washington's  drawing-rooms?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  reinember  hearing  about  them.  All  the  evening 
parties  were  over  by  nine  o'clock,  and  the  President's  house 
was  dark  and  silent  .by  ten.  They  were  great  affairs,  but 
I  was  too  young  to  know  much  about  them.  I  attended 
his  horse-levees.  I  was  very  fond  of  visiting  his  stables, 
early  in  the  morning,  at  the  hour  when  he  always  went  to 
inspect  them.  I  liked  to  see  him  at  that  work,  for  he 
seemed' to  enjoy  it  himself.  Like  General  Grant,  he  was  a  great 
lover  of  horses.  I  can  almost  think  I  see  him  now,  come 
striding  out  from  his  house  across  the  yard  to  the  stables, 
booted  and  spurred,  but  bareheaded  and  in  his  shirt-sleeves." 

"Washington  in  his  shirt-sleeves!" 

"Yes,  madam;  but  he  was  always  Washington.  The 
grooms  stood  aside,  silent  and  respectful,. while  he  examined 
every  stall  and  manger,  and  regularly  went  over  every 
horse — I  mean,  he  passed  over  a  portion  of  its  coat  his 
large  white  hand,  always  looking  to  see  if  it  was  soiled,  or 
if  any  loose  hairs  had  come  off  on  it.  If  so,  the  groom  was 
reprimanded  and  ordered  to  do  his  work  over.  Generally, 
however,  Washington  would  say:  'Very  well.  Now,  John, 
get  out  Prescott  and  Jackson'  (his  white  chargers).  Til  be 
ready  by  the  time  you  come  round.' 

"  Did  he  ride  at  so  early  an  hour? " 

"  Yes ;  generally  between  five  and  six  of  a  pleasant  morn- 
ing he  was  off;  and  he  almost  always  rode  up  to  Point-no- 
Point ,  on  the  Delaware ,  a  little  way  above  Richmond .  He  was 
a  fine  horseman,  and,  being  a  long-bodied  man,  looked  grandly 
on  horseback.  It  was  a  sight  worth  getting  up  early  to  see.  " 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  15- 


25  8  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON' 

"Such  an  Example  of  Luxury  and  Extravagance !" 

We  have  mentioned  Sam.  Fraunces,  the  President 'r 
steward.  He  was  a  rare  Whig  in  the  Revolutionary  day, 
and  attached  no  little  importance  to  his  person  and  char- 
acter, from  the  circumstance  that  the  memorable  parting  of 
the  commander-in-chief  with  his  old  and  long  endeared  com- 
panions-in-arms  had  taken  place  at  his  tavern  in  New  York. 

The  steward  was  a  man  of  talent  and  considerable 
taste  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  but  was  at  the  same  time 
ambitious,  fond  of  display,  and  regardless  of  expense. 
This  produced  continued  difficulties  between  the  President 
and  certainly  one  of  the  most  devotedly  attached  to  him  of 
all  his  household. 

The  expenses  of  the  presidential  mansion  were  settled 
weekly;  and,  upon  the  bills  being  presented,  the  President 
would  rate  his  steward  soundly  upon  his  expensiveness, 
saying  that,  while  he  wished  to  live  conformably  to  his 
high  station,  liberally,  nay  handsomely,  he  abhorred  waste 
and  extravagance,  and  insisted  that  his  household  should 
be  conducted  with  due  regard  to  economy  and  usefulness. 

Fraunces  would  promise  amendment,  and  the  next 
week  the  same  scene  would  be  re-enacted  in  all  its  parts, 
the  steward  retiring  in  tears,  and  exclaiming,  "  Well,  he  may 
discharge  me;  he  may  kill  me  if  he  will;  but  while  he  is 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
his  steward,  his  establishment  shall  be  supplied  with  the 
very  best  of  everything  that  the  whole  country  can  afford. " 

Washington  was  remarkably  fond  of  fish.  It  was  the 
habit  for  New  England  ladies  frequently  to  prepare  the 
codfish  in  a  very  nice  manner,  and  send  it  enveloped  in 
cloths,  so  as  to  arrive  quite  warm  for  the  President's  Satur- 
day dinner,  he  always  eating  codfish  on  that  day  in  compli- 
ment to  his  New  England  recollections. 

It  happened  that  a  single  shad  was  caught  in  the  Dela- 
ware in  February,  and  brought  to  the  Philadelphia  market 
for  sale.  Fraunces  pounced  upon  it  with  the  speed  of  an 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        259 

osprey,  regardless  of  price,  but  charmed  that  he  had  secured 
a  delicacy  that,  above  all  others,  he  knew  would  be  agree- 
able to  the  palate  of  his  chief. 

When  the  fish  was  served,  Washington  suspected  a 
departure  from  his  orders  touching  the  provisions  to  be 
made  for  his  table,  and  said  to  Fraunces,  who  stood  at  his 
post  at  the  sideboard: 

"What  fish  is  this?" 

"A  shad,  a  very  fine  shad,"  was  the  reply;  "I  knew 
your  excellency  was  particularly  fond  of  this  kind  of  fish,, 
and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  procure  this  one  in  market — a 
solitary  one,  and  the  first  of  the  season." 

"The  price,  sir;  the  price!"  continued  Washington,  in 
'a  stern  commanding  tone;  "the  price,  sir?" 

"  Three— three — three  dollars,"  stammered  out  the 
conscience-stricken  steward. 

"Take  it  away,"  thundered  the  chief;  "take  it  away, 
sir ;  it  shall  never  be  said  that  my  ta£>le  sets  such  an  example 
of  luxury  and  extravagance." 

.  Poor  Fraunces  tremblingly  obeyed,  and  the  first  shad 
of  the  season  was  removed  untouched,  to  be  speedily 
discussed  by  the  gourmands  of  the  servants'  hall. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis. 
p.  420. 

"Here!" 

An  Englishman  in  Philadelphia,  speaking  of  the  presi- 
dency of  Washington,  was  expressing  a  wish  to  behold 
him. 

"  There  he  goes ! ' '  replied  the  American,  pointing  to  a  tall, 
erect,  dignified  personage  passing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street. 

"That  General  Washington!"  exclaimed  the  English- 
man; "where  is  his  guard?" 

"Here!"  exclaimed  the  American,  striking  his  bosom 
with  emphasis. 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington  (Boston.  1833).  p.  127- 


260  THE  STORY -LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Fact,  Tact  and  Fiction 

Washington  showed  that  he  was  becoming  an  adept  in 
diplomacy  when  he  tendered  his  friend  Patrick  Henry  a  place 
in  the  government  after  assuring  himself  that  the  offer  would 
be  declined  with  a  profusion  of  thanks.  Then  the  tactful  way 
he  evaded  the  importunity  of  a  French  anarchist,  named 
Volney,  was  worthy  of  Franklin  or  even  Lincoln.  On  several 
accounts  he  did  not  wish  to  refuse  to  do  a  favor  for  the  visit- 
ing Frenchman,  nor  did  he  care  to  endorse  a  red  republican 
with  a  wholesale  introduction.  So  he  wrote  on  his  card, 
simply : 


C.  Volney 

needs  no  recommendation 
from 

G°.  Washington 


Contrary  to  the  universal  notion  that  practical  politics 
cannot  go  hand  in  hand  with  strict  truthfulness,  it  may  be 
argued  that  Washington  was  considered  fairly  successful  in 
politics.  ' '  Parson ' '  Weems  is  responsible  for  the  general  belief 
that  Washington,  when  a  little  boy  with  a  little  hatchet , '  'could 
not  tell  a  lie,"  but  it  is  asseverated  that  he  overcame  this 
nervous  weakness  after  he  became  a  general  and  a  statesman. 

As  a  general,  he  proved  himself  an  expert  in  devising 
decoys,  and  ruses  which  always  deceived  the  British  generals, 
yet  when  they  tried  the  same  tactics  with  him  he  saw  through 
them  all,  so  that  they  managed  only  to  put  him  on  instead 
of  off  his  guard,  and  bobbed  up,  laughing  in  his  sleeve,  all 
ready  for  them,  instead  of  rushing  off  in  the  wrong  direction 
as  they  had  tried  to  induce  him  to  do. 

Washington  knew  very  well  that  the  only  way  to  keep 
a  secret  is  not  to  let  any  one  know  you  have  one  to  keep.  In 
several  critical  junctures  the  commander-in-chief  did  not 
dare  let  even  his  confidential  officers  know  the  true  state  of 
affairs.  Once  when  he  divulged  a  secret  stratagem  to  a 
certain  colonel  who  had  to  be  informed  in  order  that  he 


Engraved  by  H.  B.  Hell  from  the  Painting  bj/  A.  Wertmiilier. 
AN  UNFAMILIAR   PORTRAIT  OF  WASHINGTON 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA         261 

might  cooperate  with  the  general  in  its  execution,  he  wrote 
at  the  end  of  his  instructions,  "  For  Heaven's  sake  keep  this 
to  yourself;  for,  if  known,  it  would  be  fatal  to  us!" 

"  All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,  "  and  Washington  was  gener- 
ally in  one  or  the  other — if  not  both  at  the  same  time.  Some 
humorous  writers,  nowadays,  pretend  to  be  shocked  because 
Washington  resorted  to  feints  and  counterfeits  to  deceive  the 
enemy,  and  to  diplomatic  strategy  while  President.  But  it 
is  not  widely  known  that  General  Washington  originated  the 
extravagant  joke  against  the  Jersey  mosquito.  Having  his 
headquarters  in  New  Jersey  much  of  the  time,  he  had  excellent 
opportunities  for  observing  that  interesting  insect  and,  one 
day,  he  spoke  of  mosquitoes  to  an  Englishman  named  Weld, 
who  went  home  and  wrote  in  his  "  Travels  in  America,  "  that 
"  General  Washington  told  me  that  .  .  .  they  used  to  bite 
through  the  thickest  boot." 

An  eminent  divine,  not  seeing  the  joke,  rushed  to  the 
rescue  with  a  tarradiddle  to  save  Washington's  reputation, 
stating  in  another  book  that  "  a  gentleman  of  great  respecta- 
bility who  was  present  when  General  Washington  made  the 
observation  referred  to,  told  me  that  he  said  when  describ- 
ing those  mosquitoes  to  Mr.  Weld,  that  they, '  bit  through 
his  stockings  above  the  boots.' 

Now,  any  one  who  knew  about  army  boots  knew  that 
they  came  far  above  the  stockings,  and  for  a  mosquito  to  bite 
through  them  was  still  more  impossible.  Washington  needed 
to  be  defended  from  his  friends,  while  he  was  defeating  his 
enemies.  His  reputation  has  suffered  many  things  from 
"gentlemen  of  great  respectability"  who  never  could  see 

through  an  innocent  joke, 
w.  w. 

0 

General  St.  Clair  Made  Commander-in-chief 

In  the  course  of  the  present  session,  Congress  received 
and  granted  the  applications  of  Kentucky  and  Vermont 
for  admission  into  the  Union,  the  former  after  August,  1792  ; 
the  latter  immediately. 

On  the  3d  of  March  the  term  of  this  first  Congress 


262  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

expired.  Washington,  after  reciting  various  important 
measures  that  had  been  effected,  testified  to  the  great  har- 
mony and  cordiality  which  had  prevailed.  In  some  few 
instances,  he  admitted,  particularly  in  passing  the  law  for 
higher  duties  on  spirituous  liquors,  and  more  especially  on 
the  subject  of  the  bank,  "  the  line  between  the  southern  and 
eastern  interests  had  appeared  more  strongly  marked  than 
could  be  wished, "  the  former  against  and  the  latter  in  favor 
of 'those  measures,  "but  the  debates,"  adds  he,  "were  con- 
ducted with  temper  and  candor." 

As  the  Indians  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Ohio  still 
continued  their  hostilities,,  one  of  the  last  measures  of 
Congress  had  been  an  act  to  augment  the  military  establish- 
ments, and  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  executive  more  ample 
means  for  the  protection  of  the  frontiers.  A  new  expedition 
against  the  belligerent  tribes  had,  in  consequence,  been 
projected.  General  St.  Clair,  actually  governor  of  the 
territory  west  of  the  Ohio,  was  appointed  commander-in- 
chief,  of  the  forces  employed. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  120. 

Planning  and  Building  "  the  President's  Palace" 

While  the  capital  was  moved  about,  Washington  gave 
all  the  attention  he  could  to  planning  and  building  the 
Federal  City.  They  went  to  work  to  erect,  first  of  all,  the 
Capitol  and  the  "President's  Palace,"  as  Washington  called 
it.  He  presided  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the 
Mansion,  October,  13,  1792,  three  hundred  years,  almost 
to  a  day,  after  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 

There  was  considerable  controversy  over  this  matter. 
Certain  self-appointed  "  watchdogs  of  the  treasury"  claimed 
that  one  building  would  do  for  both  purposes — that  the 
President  could  live  in  a  wing  of  the  Capitol,  or  the  Houses 
of  Congress  could  meet  in  two  wings  of  the  "  President's 
Palace."  This  seems  rather  ridiculous  to  us  now,  but  we 
must  bear  in  mind  that  the  people  were  few  and  money  was 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        263 

scarce.  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  and  Baltimore 
were  only  small  towns  then;  a  man  with  ten  thousand 
dollars  was  wealthy,  and  men  "worth"  one  hundred  thous- 
and were  fewer  than  multimillionaires  to-day.  So  it  was  a 
wonderful  thing  that,  through  the  great  influence  of  Wash- 
ington and  others,  Congress  appropriated  the  then  magni- 
ficent sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
"palace"  alone. 

A  prize  of  five  hundred  dollars  had  been  offered  for  the 
best  plans  for  the  building.  James  Hoban,  a  young  Irish 
architect  of  Charleston ,  South  Carolina,  won  this  prize, 
for  the  design  of  a  palace  like  the  palace  of  the  Duke  of 
Leinster,  in  Dublin.  Hoban  was  engaged  as  superintendent 
of  construction,  and  it  took  about  seven  years  to  get  the 
building  ready  to  live  in. 

The  Story  of  the  White  House,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  14. 

How  the"  President  Received  the  News 

The  President  was  dining,  when  an  officer  arrived  from 
the  western  army  with  despatches,  his  orders  requiring  that 
he  should  deliver  them  only  to  the  commander-in-chief. 
The  President  retired,  but  soon  appeared,  bearing  in  his 
hand  an  open  letter.  No  change  was  perceptible  ill  his 
countenance,  as  addressing  the  company  he  observed  that 
the  army  of  St.  Clair  had  been  surprised  by  the  Indians, 
and  was  cut  to  pieces.  The  company  soon  after  retired. 
The  President  repaired  to  his  private  parlor,  attended  by 
Mr.  Lear,  his  principal  secretary,  and  a  scene  ensued  of 
which  our  pen  can  give  but  a  feeble  description. 

The  chief  paced  the  room  in  hurried  strides.  In  his 
agony,  he  struck  his  clenched  hands  with  fearful  force  against 
his  forehead,  and  in  a  paroxysm  of  anguish  exclaimed: 

"That  brave  army,  so  officered— Butler,  Ferguson, 
Kirkwood— such  officers  are  not  to  be  replaced  in  a  day— 
that  brave  army  cut  to  pieces.  O  God!" 

Then  turning  to  the  secretary,  who  stood  amazed  at  a 


264  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

spectacle  so  unique,  as  Washington  in  all  his  terrors,  he 
continued : 

"It  was  here,  sir,  in  this  very  room,  that  I  conversed 
with  St.  Clair,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  the  West. 
I  remarked,  'I  shall  not  interfere,  General,  with  the  orders  of 
General  Knox,  and  the  War  Department ;  they  are  sufficiently 
comprehensive  and  judicious;  but,  as  an  old  soldier,  as  one 
whose  early  life  was  particularly  engaged  in  Indian  warfare, 
I  feel  myself  competent  to  counsel;  General  St.  Clair,  in 
three  words,  beware  of  surprise ;  trust  not  the  Indian,  leave 
not  your  arms  for  a  moment;  and  when  you  halt  for  the 
night,  be  sure  to  fortify  your  camp — again  and  again, 
General,  beware  of  surprise  \ '  And  yet  that  brave  army 
surprised,  and  cut  to  pieces,  with  Butler  and  a  host  of  others 
slain,  O  God!" 

Here  the  struggle  ended,  as  with  mighty  efforts  the 
hero  chained  down  the  rebellious  giant  of  passion,  and 
Washington  became  "himself  again."  In  a  subdued  tone 
of  voice,  he  proceeded:  "But  he  shall  have  justice  done; 
yes,  long,  faithful,  and  meritorious  services  have  their 
claims.  I  repeat — he  shall  have  justice." 

Thus  concluded  a  scene  as  remarkable  as  rare.  It 
served  to  display  this  great  man  as  nature  had  made  him, 
with  passions  fierce  and  impetuous,  which,  like  the  tornado 
of  the  tropics,  would  burst  for  a  while  in  awful  grandeur, 
and  then  show,  in  higher  relief,  a  serene  and  brilliant  sky. 

The  first  interview  of  the  President  with  St.  Clair, 
after  the  fatal  fourth  of  November,  was  nobly  impressive. 
The  unfortunate  general,  worn  down  by  age,  disease  and 
the  hardship  of  a  frontier  campaign,  assailed  by  the  press, 
and  with  the  current  of  popular  opinion  setting  hard  against 
him,  repaired  to  his  chief,  as  to  a  shelter  from  the  fury  of 
so  many  elements.  Washington  extended  his  hand  to 
one  who  appeared  in  no  new  character;  for,  during  the 
whole  of  a  long  life,  misfortune  seemed  to  have  "  marked  him 
for  her  own."  Poor  old  St.  Clair  hobbled  up  to  his  chief, 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        265 

seized  the  offered  hand  in  both  of  his,  and  gave  vent  to  his 
feelings  in  an  audible  manner.  He  was  subsequently  tried 
by  a  commission  of  government,  and  proved  to  have  been 

unfortunate. 

In  the  Alexandria  Gazette,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis,  July  12,  1827. 

The  Same  Scene  Described  Thirty  Years  Later 

Towards  the  close  of  a  winter's  day  in  1791,  an  officer 
in  uniform  was  seen  to  dismount  in  front  of  the  President's 
in  Philadelphia,  and,  giving  the  bridle  to  his  servant, 
knock  at  the  door  of  his  mansion.  Learning  from  the  por- 
ter that  the  President  was  at  dinner,  he  said  he  was  on  public 
business  and  had  despatches  for  the  President.  A  servant 
was  sent  into  the  dining-room  to  give  the  information  to 
Mr.  Lear,  who  left  the  table  and  went  into  the  hall  where 
the  officer  repeated  what  he  had  said.  Mr.  Lear  replied 
that,  as  the  President's  secretary,  he  would  take  charge  of 
the  despatches  and  deliver  them  at  the  proper  time.  The 
officer  made  answer  that  he  had  just  arrived  from  the  west- 
ern army,  and  his  orders  were  to  deliver  them  with  all 
promptitude,  and  to  the  President  in  person;  but  that  he 
would  wait  his  directions.  Mr.  Lear  returned,  and  in  a 
whisper  imparted  to  the  President  what  had  passed.  Gen- 
eral Washington  rose  from  the  table,  and  went  to  the 
officer.  He  was  back  in  a  short  time,  made  a  word  of 
apology  for  his  absence,  but  no  allusion  to  the  cause  of  it. 
He  had  company  that  day,  Everything  went  on  as  usual. 
Dinner  over,  the  gentlemen  passed  to  the  drawing-room  of 
Mrs.  Washington,  which  was  open  in  the  evening.  The 
General  spoke  courteously  to  every  lady  in  the  room,  as 
was  his  custom.  His  hours  were  early,  and  by  ten  o'clock 
all  the  company  had  gone.  Mrs.  Washington  and  Mr. 
Lear  remained.  Soon  Mrs.  Washington  left  the  room. 

The  General  now  walked  backward  and  forward  slowly 
for  some  minutes  without  speaking.  Then  he  sat  down 
on  a  sofa  by  the  fire,  telling  Mr.  Lear  to  sit  down.  To  this 


266  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

moment  there  had  been  no  change  in  his  manner  since  his 
interruption  at  table.  Mr.  Lear  now  perceived  emotion. 
This  rising  in  him,  he  broke  out  suddenly,  "  It's  all  over — 
St.  Clair's  defeated — routed;  -the  officers  nearly  all  killed, 
the  men  by  wholesale;  the  rout  complete — too  shocking 
to  think  of — and  a  surprise  into  the  bargain ! ' ' 

He  uttered  all  this  with  great  vehemence.  Then  he 
paused,  got  up  from  the  sofa,  and  walked  about  the  room 
several  times,  agitated  but  saying  nothing.  Near  the  door 
he  stopped  short  and  stood  still  a  few  seconds,  when  his 
wrath  became  terrible. 

"Yes"  he  burst  forth,  "here  on  this  very  spot,  I  took 
leave  of  him;  I  wished  him  success  and  honor;  'you  have 
your  instructions,'  I  said,  'from  the  Secretary  of  War,  I  had 
a  strict  eye  to  them,  and  will  add  but  one  word, — Beware 
of  a  surprise!  I  repeat  it,  BEWARE  OF  A  SURPRISE— 
you  know  how  the  Indians  fight  us.'  He  went  off  with  that 
as  my  last  solemn  warning  thrown  into  his  ears.  And  yet! 
to  suffer  that  army  to  be  cut  to  pieces,  hack'd,  butchered, 
tomahawk 'd  by  a  surprise — the  very  thing  I  guarded  him 
against!  O  God,  O  God,  he's  worse  than  a  murderer!  how 
can  he  answer  it  to  his  country;  — the  blood  of  the  slain 
is  upon  him — the  curse  of  widows  and  orphans — the  curse 
of  Heaven!" 

This  torrent  came  out  in  tones  appalling.  His  very 
frame  shook.  'It  was  awful!'  said  Mr.  Lear.  'More  than 
once  he  fhrew  his  hands  up  as  he  hurled  imprecations  upon 
St.  Clair.'  Mr.  Lear  remained  speechless,  awed  into  breath- 
less silence. 

The  roused  chief  sat  down  on  the  sofa  once  more.  He 
seemed  conscious  of  his  passion,  and  uncomfortable.  He 
was  silent.  His  warmth  beginning  to  subside,  he  at  length 
said  in  an  altered  voice:  "This  must  not  go  beyond  this 
room."  Another  pause  followed — a  longer  one — when 
he  said  in  a  tone  quite  low,  "  General  St.  Clair  shall  have 
justice;  I  looked  hastily  through  the  despatches,  saw  the 


CAPITAL  REMOVED  TO  PHILADELPHIA        267 

whole  disaster  but  not  all  the  particulars ;  I  will  receive  him 
without  displeasure;  I  will  hear  him  without  prejudice; 
he  shall  have  full  justice." 

He  was  now,  said  Mr.  Lear,  perfectly  calm.  Half  an 
hour  had  gone  by.  The  storm  was  over;  and  no  sign  of  it 
was  afterwards  seen  in  his  conduct  or  heard  in  his  conver- 
sation. The  result  is  known.  The  whole  case  was  investi- 
gated by  Congress.  St.  Clair  was  exculpated  and  regained 
the  confidence  Washington  had  in  him  when  appointing 
him  to  that  command.  He  had  put  himself  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight  and  escaped  unhurt,  though  so  ill  as  to  be  car- 
ried on  a  litter,  and  unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  help. 

Washington  in  Domestic  Life,  Richard  Rush,  (1857)  p.  65. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
His  SECOND  TERM 
After  a  Long  and  Painful  Conflict  of  Feelings 

It  was  after  a  long  and  painful  conflict  of  feelings  that 
Washington  consented  to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election. 
There  was  no  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  public,  and  the 
vote  for  him  in  the  electoral  college  was  unanimous.  In 
a  letter  to  a  friend,  he  declared  himself  gratefully  impressed 
by  so  distinguished  and  honorable  a  testimony  of  public 
approbation  and  confidence.  In  truth  he  had  been  appre- 
hensive of  being  elected  by  but  a  meager  majority,  which  he 
acknowledged  would  have  been  a  matter  of  chagrin. 

George  Clinton,  of  New  York,  was  held  up  for  the 
vice-presidency,  in  opposition  to  John  Adams;  but  the 
latter  was  re-elected  by  a  majority  of  twenty-seven  electoral 
votes. 

But  though  gratified  to  find  that  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen  were  still  with  him,  it  was  with  no  emotion  of 
pleasure  that  Washington  looked  forward  to  another  term 
of  public  duty,  and  a  prolonged  absence  from  the  quiet 
retirement  of  Mount  Vernon. 

On  his  birthday  (Feb.  22)  many  of  the  members  of 
Congress  were  desirous  of  waiting  on  him  in  testimony  of 
respect  as  chief  magistrate  of  the  Union,  and  a  motion  was 
made  to  adjourn  for  half  an  hour  for  the  purpose.  It  met 
with  serious  opposition  as  a  species  of  homage — it  was 
setting  up  an  idol  dangerous  to  liberty — it  had  a  bias 
toward  monarchy! 

To  guide  him  on  the  coming  occasion,  Washington 
called  the  heads  of  departments  together,  and  desired 
they  would  consult  with  one  another,  and  agree  on  any 

(268) 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  269 

changes  they  might  consider  for  the  better,  assuring  them 
he  would  willingly  conform  to  whatever  they  should  advise. 
They  held  such  consultation,  and  ultimately  gave 
their  individual  opinions  in  writing,  with  regard  to  the 
time,  manner  and  place  of  the  President's  taking  the  oath 
of  office.  As  they  were  divided  in  opinion,  and  gave  no 
positive  advice  as  to  any  change,  no  change  was  made.  On 
the  4th  of  March,  the  oath  was  publicly  administered  to 
Washington  by  Mr.  Justice  Gushing,  in  the  Senate  Chamber, 
in  the  presence  of  the  heads  of  departments,  foreign  min- 
isters, such  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  as 
were  in  town,  and -as  many  spectators  as  could  be  accom- 
modated. 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  170. 

From  Washington's  Second  Inaugural 

(Delivered  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  Philadelphia, 
March  4,   1793.} 

"Fellow-Citizens: 

"I  am  again  called  upon,  by  the  voice  of  my  country, 
to  execute  the  functions  of  its  chief  magistrate.  When  the 
occasion  proper  for  it  shall  arrive,  I  shall  endeavor  to 
express  the  high  sense  I  entertain  of  this,  distinguished 
honor,  and  of  the  confidence  which  has  been  reposed  in  me 
by  the  people  of  United  America.  Previous  to  the  execu- 
tion of  any  official  act  of  the  President,  the  Constitution 
requires  an  oath  of  office.  This  oath  I  am  now  about  to 
take  and  in  your  presence ;  that,  if  it  shall  be  found  during 
my  administration  of  the  government,  I  have  in  any  instance 
violated  willingly  or  knowingly  the  injunction  thereof,  I 
may,  besides  incurring  constitutional  punishment,  be  sub- 
ject to  the  upbraiding  of  all  who  are  now  witnesses  of  the 
present  solemn  ceremony." 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.  D.,  p.  3S«. 


2 7o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Reading  His  Opening  Address  to  Congress 

Of  the  awe  and  reverence  which  the  presence  of  Wash- 
ington inspired  we  have  many  records.  "I  stood,"  says 
one  writer,  "  before  the  door  of  the  Hall  of  Congress  in 
Philadelphia  when  the  carriage  of  the  President  drew  up. 
It  was  a  white  coach,  or  rather  of  a  light  cream  color,  painted 
on  the  panels  with  beautiful  groups  representing  the  four 
seasons.  As  Washington  alighted  and  ascending  the  steps, 
paused  on  the  platform,  he  was  preceded  by  two  gentlemen 
bearing  large  white  wands,  who  kept  back  the  eager  crowd 
that  pressed  on  every  side.  At  that  moment  I  stood  so  near  I 
might  have  touched  his  clothes;  but  I  should  as  soon  have 
thought  of  touching  an  electric  battery.  I  was  penetrated 
with  deepest  awe.  Nor  was  this  the  feeling  of  the  schoolboy 
I  then  was.  It  pervaded,  I  believe,  every  human  being  that 
approached  Washington ;  and  I  have  been  told  that  even  in 
his  social  hours,  this  feeling  in  those  who  shared  them  never 
suffered  intermission.  I  saw  him  a  hundred  times  afterward, 
but  never  with  any  other  than  the  same  feeling.  The 
Almighty,  who  raised  up  for  our  hour  of  need  a  man  so  pecu- 
liarly prepared  for  its  whole  dread  responsibility,  seems  to 
have  put  a  stamp  of  sacredness  upon  his  instrument.  The 
first  sight  of  the  man  struck  the  eye  with  involuntary  homage 
and  prepared  everything  around  him  to  obey. 

"At  the  time  I  speak  of  he  stood  in  profound  silence 
and  had  the  statue-like  air  which  mental  greatness  alone 
can  bestow.  As  he  turned  to  enter  the  building,  and  was 
ascending  the  staircase  to  the  Congressional  hall,  I  glided 
along  unseen,  almost  under  the  cover  of  the  skirts  of  his 
dress,  and  entered  into  the  lobby  of  the  House  which  was  in 
session  to  receive  him. 

"At  Washington's  entrance  there  was  a  profound  silence. 
House,  lobbies,  gallery,  all  were  wrapped  in  deepest  attention. 
And  the  souls  of  the  entire  assemblage  seemed  peering  from 
their  eyes  as  the  noble  figure  deliberately  and  unaffectedly 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  271 

advanced  up  the  broad  aisle  of  the  hall  between  ranks  of 
standing  senators  and  members,  and  slowly  ascended  the 
steps  leading  to  the  speaker 's  chair. 

"The  President  having  seated  himself  remained  in  si- 
lence, and  the  members  took  their  seats,  waiting  for  the 
speech.  No  house  of  worship  was  ever  more  profoundly 
still  than  that  large  and  crowded  chamber. 

"Washington  was  dressed  precisely  as  Stuart  has  painted 
him  in  full-length  portrait — in  a  full  suit  of  the  richest  black 
velvet,  with  diamond  knee-buckles  and  square  silver  buckles 
set  upon  shoes  japanned  with  most  scrupulous  neatness; 
black  silk  stockings,  his  shirt  ruffled  at  the  breast  and  waist, 
a  light  dress  sword,  his  hair  profusely  powdered,  fully  dressed 
so  as  to  project  at  the  sides,  and  gathered  behind  in  a  silk 
bag  ornamented  with  a  large  rose  of  black  ribbon.  He  held 
his  cocked  hat,  which  had  a  large  black  cockade  on  one  side 
of  it,  in  his  hand,  as  he  advanced  toward  the  chair,  and 
when  seated,  laid  it  on  the  table. 

"At  length,  thrusting  his  hand  within  the  side  of  his 
coat,  he  drew  forth  a  roll  of  manuscript  which  he  opened, 
and  rising,  read  in  a  rich,  deep,  full,  sonorous  voice  his 
opening  address  to  Congress.  His  enunciation  was  deliber- 
ate, justly  emphasized,  very  distinct,  and  accompanied  with 
an  air  of  deep  solemnity  as  being  the  utterance  of  a  mind 
conscious  of  the  whole  responsibility  of  its  position,  but  not 
oppressed  by  it.  There  was  ever  about  the  man  something 
which  impressed  one  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  exactly 
and  fully  equal  to  what  he  had  to  do.  He  was  never 
hurried;  never  negligent ;  but  seemed  ever  prepared  for  the 
occasion,  be  it  what  it  might.  In  his  study,  in  his  parlor, 
at  a  levee,  before  Congress,  at  the  head  of  the  army,  he 
seemed  ever  to  be  just  what  the  situation  required.  He 
possessed,  in  a  degree  never  equaled  by  any  human  being  I 
ever  saw,  the  strongest,  most  ever-present  sense  of  pro- 
priety." 

Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know,  Edited  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  p.  284. 


272  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"The  Proceedings  of  a  Person  Unfortunately  Minister 
Plenipotentiary" 

In  a  message  to  both  Houses,  on  the  5th  of  December, 
concerning  foreign  relations,  Washington  spoke  feelingly 
with  regard  to  those  with  the  representative  and  executive 
bodies  in  France:  "It  is  with  extreme  concern  that  I  have 
to  inform  you  that  the  proceedings  of  a  person  whom  they 
have  unfortunately  appointed  their  minister  plenipotentiary 
here,  have  breathed  nothing  of  the  friendly  spirit  of  the 
nation  which  sent  him;  their  tendency,  on  the  contrary, 
has  been  to  involve  us  in  war  abroad,  and  discord  and 
anarchy  at  home.  So  far  as  his  acts,  or  those  of  his  agents, 
have  threatened  our  immediate  commitment  in  the  war,  or 
flagrant  insult  to  the  authority  of  the  laws,  their  effect  has 
been  counteracted  by  the  ordinary  cognizance  of  the  laws, 
and  by  an  exertion  of  the  powers  confided  to  me.  Where 
their  danger  was  not  imminent,  they  have  been  borne  with, 
from  sentiments  of  regard  for  his  nation;  from  a  sense  of 
their  friendship  toward  us;  from  a  conviction,  that  they 
would  not  suffer  us  to  remain  long  exposed  to  the  action  of 
a  person,  who  has  so  little  respected  our  mutual  dispositions ; 
and,  I  will  add,  from  a  reliance  on  the  firmness  of  our 
fellow-citizens  in  their  principles  of  peace  and  order. " 

John  Adams,  speaking  of  this  passage  of  the  message, 
says:  "The  President  has  given  Genet  a  bolt  of  thunder." 
He  questioned,  however,  whether  Washington  would  be 
supported  in  it  by  the  two  Houses — '  'although  he  stands  at 
present,  as  high  in  the  admiration  and  confidence  of  the 
people  as  he  ever  did,  I  expect  he  will  find  many  bitter 
and  desperate  enemies  arise  in  consequence  of  his  just 
judgment  against  Genet." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  233. 

The  National  Government  Removes  to  Germantown  on  Account 
of  Yellow  Fever 

Washington  set  out  from  Mount  Vernon  for  German- 
town  on  Monday,  the  28th  of  October  [1793],  accompanied 


HIS  SECOND  TERM 


by  his  secretary,  Bartholomew  Dandridge,  his  coachman, 
Lewis  Lut,  and  servant,  Austin,  with  five  horses.  At  Balti- 
more they  were  overtaken  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  had 
left  Monticello  on  the  25th.  .  .  They  reached  Germantown 
in  time  for  dinner  on  Friday,  November  ist.  This  was  a 
cold,  rainy  day,  and  Jefferson  says  they  experienced  the 
extremes  of  heat,  cold,  dust  and  rain  on  the  journey.  .  . 

.  .  .The  President,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Dandridge 
and  his  servants,  set  out  on  the  nth  of  November  for 
Lancaster  and  Reading,  going  first  into  Philadelphia.  He 
apparently  was  not  satisfied  that  Congress  could  be  accom- 
modated in  Germantown,  or  at  least  wished  to  see  for  him- 
self what  the  other  Pennsylvania  towns  had  to  offer,  in  case 
the  members  declined  to  meet  in  Philadelphia 

Washington  returned  to  Germantown  on  Saturday,  the 
1 6th,  having  been  gone  all  the  week.  Before  leaving  he 
had  written  a  personal  note  to  Colonel  Isaac  Franks,  asking 
for  the  use  of  his  house.  .  .  ..  It  reached  Colonel 
Franks,  who  had  sought  refuge  from  the  yellow  fever,  at 
Bethlehem,  Pa.,  on  November  i6th,  and  he  immediately 
responded  by  hiring  a  light  two-horse  wagon,  with  a  driver, 
and  setting  out  for  Germantown  with  Mrs.  Franks,  to  put 
the  house  in  order  for  the  President's  occupancy. 

The  Frank's  house,  or  the  Morris  House,  as  it  is  known 
to-day,  remains  as  it  was  when  Washington  occupied  it,  an 
interesting  and  as  fine  an  example  of  the  Colonial  period  as 
is  to  be  found  anywhere  in  America.  .  .  . 

Washington  occupied  it  until  the  end  of  the  month, 
making,  however,  frequent  daily  visits  into  the  city,  and  so 
well  did  it  suit  him  that  he  again  occupied  it  the  following 
summer. 

The  gathering  of  the  loose  ends  of  business,  sundered 
by  the  hiatus  of  the  yellow  fever,  the  preparation  of  the 
President's  speech  and  message,  before  the  assembly  of 
Congress  [in  Germantown  Academy]  the  first  Monday  of 
December,  made  the  month  of  November,  passed  in  Ger- 


274  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

man  town,  as  busy  and  as  important  as  any  in  Washington's 
administration. 

In  the  early  days,  during  Washington's  and  Adams' 
administrations,  it  was  customary  for  the  President  to 
appear  in  person  at  the  opening  of  Congress  before  both 
houses  assembled  in  one  body,  and  read  an  address  to 
them,  designated  as  the  speech,  and  later  the  matters  to  be 
more  specifically  communicated  were  forwarded  as  mes- 
sages. Washington's  draft  of  the  various  subjects  which 
should  be  included  either  in  the  speech  or  in  later  messages 
to  Congress  is  here  given: 
(Sundry  matters  to  be  communicated  for  the  information 

of  Congress  either  in  the  speech  at   the   opening  of   the 

session  or  by  Messages  thereafter  'as  shall  be  thought  best.) 

"Proclamation  informing  the  United  States,  of  the  ac- 
tual state  of  things  as  they  stood  between  them  and  the 
powers  at  war. 

"State  of  our  application  respecting  the  surrender  of 
the  Western  posts. 

"Additional  instructions  of  his  Britannic  Majesty 
relative  to  corn,  &c.,  in  neutral  vessels. 

"State  of  matters  as  it  respects  our  negotiations  with 
Spain — relative  to  territory  and  the  navigation  of  the  river 
Mississippi. 

"Correspondence  with  Mr.  Genet,  minister  from  the 
French  republic. 

"The  impediments  which  have  taken  place  in  the  in- 
tended ransoms  of  our  citizens,  captives  in  Algiers,  and 
treaty  with  the  Barbary  States. 

"Treaty  attempted  with  the  Western  Indians,  and  the 
result  of  it. 

"March  of  the  Army  in  consequence  of  it  delayed  by 
the  suspension  we  were  held  in  thereby. 

"State  of  matters  as  they  relate  to  the  Creeks  and 
Cherokees;  and  to  the  frontiers  of,  Georgia  and  the  South- 
western Territory. 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  275 

"Would  not  trade  on  public  ground  with  all  the  bor- 
dering tribes  of  Indians  (if  they  can  once  be  made  sensible 
of  their  folly  by  the  superiority  of  our  arms)  be  an  effec- 
tual mean  of  attaching  them  to  us  by  the  strongest  of  all 
ties,  interest? 

"The  utility  of  establishing  proper  arsenals,  unfolds 
itself  more  and  more  every  day  ;  and  the  propriety  of  a 
military  academy  for  teaching  the  art  of  gunnery  and 
engineering,  can  scarcely  be  doubted.  A  war  at  any  time 
would  evince  the  impropriety  of  such  a  neglect. 

"Might  it  not  be  expedient  to  take  off  the  tax  upon 
the  transportation  of  newspapers,  &c. 

"An  act  of  the  legislature,  south-west  of  the  Ohio, 
passed  November  2oth,  1792,  deposited  in  the  Secretary  of 
States's  office. 

"As  both  Representatives  and  President  are  newly 
chosen,  and  it  is  their  first  meeting,  may  it  not  be  a  good 
occasion,  and  proper  for  the  latter  to  express  his  sentiments 
of  the  honor  conferred  on  him  by  his  fellow  citizens?  The 
former  is  an  augmented  body.  The  times  are  critical,  and 
much  temper,  and  cool,  deliberate  reflection  is  necessary  to 
maintain  peace  with  dignity  and  safety  to  the  United 
States, 

"Appointments  during  the  recess  of  Congress  to  be 
laid  before  the  Senate." 

Washington  in  Germantown ,  Charles  Francis  Jenkins,  pp.  99  to  138 

Washington's  Wrath  over  the  Ribaldry  of  the  Press 

Washington,  already  weary  and  impatient,  under  the 
incessant  dissensions  of  his  Cabinet,  was  stung  by  the  sug- 
gestion that  he  might  be  held  up  as  in  conflict  with  Genet, 
and  subjected,  as  he  had  been,  to  the  ribaldry  of  the  press. 
At  this  unlucky  moment  Knox  blundered  forth  with  a  speci- 
men of  the  scandalous  libels  already  in  circulation;  a  pas- 
quinade lately  printed,  called  the  "  Funeral  of  George  Wash- 
ington," wherein  the  President  was  represented  as  placed 


276  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

upon  a  guillotine,  a  horrible  parody  on  the  late  decapitation 
of  the  French  King.  "  The  President, ' '  writes  Jefferson,  "  now 
burst  forth  into  one  of  those  transports  of  a  passion  beyond 
his  control ;  inveighed  against  the  personal  abuse  which  had 
been  bestowed  upon  him,  and  defied  any  man  on  earth  to 
produce  a  single  act  of  his  since  he  had  been  in  the  govern- 
ment that  had  not  been  done  on  the  purest,  motives. 

"He  had  never  repented  but  once  the  having  slipped 
the  moment  of  resigning  his  office,  and  that  was  every 
moment  since.  In  the  agony  of  his  heart  he  declared  that 
he  had  rather  be  in  his  grave  than  in  his  present  situation; 
that  he  had  rather  be  on  his  farm  than  to  be  made  emperor 
of  the  world — and  yet,  said  he,  indignantly,  they  are 
charging  me  with  wanting  to  be  a  king ! 

"All  were  silent  during  this  burst  of  feeling — a  pause 
ensued — it  was  difficult  to  resume  the  question.  Washing- 
ton, however,  who  had  recovered  his  equanimity,  put  an  end 
to  the  difficulty.  There  was  no  necessity,  he  said,  for  decid- 
ing the  matter  at  present ;  the  propositions  agreed  to,  respect- 
ing the  letter  to  Mr.  Morris,  might  be  put  into  a  train  of 
execution,  and,  perhaps,  events  would  show  whether  the 
appeal  would  be  necessary  or  not." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  218. 

"That  Rascal  Freneau" 

The  President  was  much  inflamed ;  got  into  one  of  those 
passions  when  he  cannot  command  himself;  ran  on  much 
on  the  personal  abuse  which  had  been  bestowed  on  him; 
defied  any  man  on  earth  to  produce  one  single  act  of  his 
since  he  had  been  in  the  government,  which  was  not  done 
on  the  purest  motives ;  that  he  had  never  repented  but  once 
the  having  slipped  the  moment  of  resigning  his  office,  and 
that  was  every  moment  since ;  that  by  God  he  had  rather  be 
in  his  grave  than  in  his  present  situation;  that  he  had 
rather  be  on  his  farm  than  to  be  made  Emperor  of  the  world; 
and  yet  that  they  were  charging  him  with  wanting  to  be  a 


HT5  SECOND  TERM  277 

King.  That  that  rascal  Freneau  sent  him  three  of  his  papers 
every  day,  a?  if  he  thought  he  would  become  the  distributor 
of  his  papers;  that  he  could  see  in  this,  nothing  but  an 
impudent  design  to  insult  him :  he  ended  in  this  high  tone. 

"Anas,"  Works  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  Vol.  IX,  p.  164. 

"  Ten  Thousand  People  Threatened  to  Drag  Washington 
out  of  His  House  " 

Although  Washington  was  twice  unanimously  elected 
to  the  presidency  he  had  many  bitter  enemies.  He  was 
the  most  vilified  and  abused  of  all  the  Presidents  of  the 
United  States,  excepting  Lincoln,  perhaps,  during  the  first 
years  of  his  administration.  Popular  feeling  was  so  strong 
in  favor  of  French  republicanism  that  many  good  men, 
including  Jefferson,  then  Secretary  of  State,  were  greatly 
incensed  against  President  Washington  because  he  was 
unwilling  to  break  the  existing  treaty  of  neutrality.  He 
saw  that  the  lowest  element  in  Paris  had  given  themselves 
over  to  the  most  unbridled  lust  for  blood  and  power,  and 
that  they  "bawled  for  liberty,"  their  idea  of  freedom  being 
only  license  to  commit  crimes  in  freedom's  name. 

John  Adams,  then  Vice-President,  wrote  of  the  feeling 
against  Washington  at  this  soul-trying  time: 

"  Ten  thousand  people  in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia,  day 
after  day,  threatened  to  drag  Washington  out  of  his  house, 
and  effect  a  revolution  in  the  government,  or  compel  it  to  de- 
clare in  favor  of  the  French  Revolution  and  against  England." 

In  spite  of  his  great  popularity  there  was  nothing  of 
bravado  or  defiance  in  Washington's  attitude  toward  the 
people.  John  Adams  once  wrote  of  this : 

"General  Washington,  one  of  the  most  attentive  men 
in  the  world  to  the  manner  of  doing  things,  owed  a  great 
proportion  of  his  celebrity  to  this  circumstance." 

Washington,  once  speaking  on  this  subject,  expressed 
the  following  sentiment : 

"  I  have  found  it  of  importance  and  highly  expedient 
to  yield  to  many  points  in  fact,  without  seeming  to  have 


278  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

done  it,  and  this  to  avoid  bringing  on  a  too  frequent  dis- 
cussion of  matters  which  in  a  political  view  ought  to  be 
kept  a  little  behind  the  curtain,  and  not  to  be  made  too 
much  the  subjects  of  disquisition.  Time  only  can 
eradicate  and  overcome  customs  and  prejudices  of  long 
standing — they  must  be  got  the  better  of  by  slow  and 
gradual  advances." 

On  another  occasion  he  added,  "  In  a  word,  if  a  man 
cannot  act  in  all  respects  as  he  would  wish,  he  must  do  what 
appears  best  under  the  circumstances  he  is  in.     This  I  aim 
at,  however  short  I  may  fall  of  the  end. " 
w.  w. 

The  Jay  Treaty  a  Benefit  to  the  West 

In  such  a  welter  of  intrigue,  of  land  speculation,  and  of 
more  or  less  piratical  aggression,  there  was- imminent  danger 
that  the  West  would  relapse  into  anarchy  unless  a  firm 
government  were  established,  and  unless  the  boundaries 
with  England  and  Spain  were  definitely  established.  As 
Washington's  administration  grew  steadily  in  strength  and 
in  the  confidence  of  the  people  the  first  condition  was  met. 
The  necessary  fixity  of  boundary  was  finally  obtained  by 
the  treaties  negotiated  through  John  Jay  with  England, 
and  through  Thomas  Pinckney  with  Spain. 

Jay's  treaty  aroused  a  perfect  torrent  of  wrath  through- 
out the  country,  and  nowhere  more  than  in  the  West.  A 
few  of  the  coolest  and  most  intelligent  men  approved  it, 
and  rugged  old  Humphrey  Marshall,  the  Federalist  senator 
from  Kentucky,  voted  for  its  ratification;  but  the  general 
feeling  against  him  was  intense.  Even  Blount,  who  by 
this  time  was  pretty  well  digusted  with  the  way  he  had  been 
treated  by  the  central  government,  denounced  it,  and 
expressed  his  belief  that  Washington  would  have  hard  work 
in  explaining  his  conduct  in  procuring  its  ratification.  -Yet 
the  westerners  were  the  very  people  who  had  no  cause  what- 
ever to  complain  of  the  treaty.  It  was  not  an  entirely 
satisfactory  treaty ;  perhaps  a  man  like  Hamilton  might  have 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  279 

procured  rather  better  terms ;  but,  taken  as  a  whole,  it  worked 
an  immense  improvement  upon  the  condition  of  things 
already  existing.  Washington's  position  was  undoubtedly 
right.  He  would  have  preferred  a  better  treaty,  but  he 
regarded  the  Jay  treaty  as  very  much  better  than  none  at  all. 

The  Winning  of  the  West,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Vol.  IV,  p.  194. 

Noble  Reply  to  Jefferson 

In  Bache's  Aurora  of  June  9th,  [1796]  an  anonymous 
article  had  appeared,  disclosing  queries  -propounded  by 
Washington,  in  strict  confidence,  to  members  of  the  Cabinet 
in  1793,  as  to  the  conduct  to  be  observed  in  reference  to 
England  and  France.  As  soon  as  Jefferson  saw  this  article 
he  wrote  Washington,  (June  igth)  disclaiming  his  having 
had  any  concern  in  that  breach  of  official  trust.  "  I  have 
formerly  mentioned  to  you,  "  observed  he,  "that  from  a  very 
early  period  of  my  life,  I  had  laid  it  down  as  a  rule  of  conduct 
never  to  write  a  single  word  for  the  public  papers.  From 
this  I  have  never  departed  in  a  single  instance." 

Jefferson  further  intimates  a  suspicion  that  a  third 
party  had  been  endeavoring  to  sow  tares  between  him  and 
Washington,  by  representing  him  (Jefferson)  as  still  engaged 
in  the  bustle  of  politics,  and  in  turbulence  and  intrigue 
against  the  government. 

This  drew  forth  a  noble  reply  from  Washington.  "  If  I  had 
entertained  any  suspicions  before, "  writes  he,  "that  the  quer- 
ies, which  have  been  published  in  Bache's  paper,  proceeded 
from  you,  the  assurances  you  have  given  me  of  the  contrary, 
would  have  removed  them ;  but  the  truth  is,  I  harbored  none." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  305. 

A  Dinner  at  the  Vice-President's  at  Richmond  Hill 

In  the  centre  of  the  table  sat  Vice-President  Adams, 
in  full  dress,  with  bag  and  solitaire,  his  hair  frizzed  out  on 
each  side  of  his  head  as  you  see  it  in  Stuart 's  old  picture 
of  him.  On  his  right  sat  Baron  Steuben,  our  royalist 


28o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

republican  disciplinarian  general.  On  his  left  was  Mr. 
Jefferson,  who  had  just  returned  from  France,  conspicuous 
in  his  red  waistcoat  and  breeches,  the  fashion  of  Versailles. 
Opposite  sat  Mrs.  Adams  with  her  cheerful,  intelligent  face. 
She  was  placed  between  the  courtly  Count  de  Moustier,  the 
French  ambassador,  in  his  red-heeled  shoes  and  ear  rings, 
and  the  grave,  polite,  and  formally  bowing  Mr.  Van  Berkel, 
the  learned  and  able  envoy  from  Holland.  Here  too  was 
Chancellor  Livingston,  then  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  so  deaf 
as  to  make  conversation  with  him  difficult,  yet  so  overflow- 
ing with  wit,  eloquence,  and  information  that  while  listening 
to  him  the  difficulty  was  forgotten.  The  rest  were  mem- 
bers of  Congress  and  of  our  Legislature,  some  of  them  no 
inconsiderable  men. 

Being  able  to  talk  French,  a  rare  ..accomplishment  in 
America  at  that  time,  a  place  was  assigned  to  me  next  the 
count.  De  Moustier,  after  taking  a  little  soup,  kept  an 
empty  plate  before  him,  took  now  and  then  a  crumb  of 
bread  into  his  mouth,  and  declined  all  the  luxuries  of  the 
table  that  were  pressed  upon  him,  from  the  roast  beef  to 
the  lobsters.  We  were  all  in  perplexity  to  know  how  the 
count  would  dine,  when  at  length  his  own  body-cook,  in  a 
clean  white  linen  cap,  a  clean  tablier,  and  a  brilliantly  white 
serviette  flung  over  his  arm ,  and  a  warm  pie  of  truffles  and 
game  in  his  hand,  came  bustling  eagerly  through  the  crowd 
of  waiters  and  placed  it  before  the  count,  who,  reserving  a 
moderate  share,  distributed  the  rest  among  his  neighbors, 
of  whom  being  one  I  can  attest  the  truth  of  the  story  and 
the  excellence  of  the  pate. 

Reminiscences  in  The  Talisman,  in  1829,  edited  by  "Francis  Herbert". 

How  the  President  Would  Encourage  Robert  Fulton 

'•PHILADELPHIA  i4th  December,  1796. 
"To  Tobias  Lear: 

"A  treatise  on  the  improvement  of  canal  navigation, 
came  to  my  hands  by  Doctr  Edwards  as  a  present  from  the 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  281 

Author,  a  few  days  ago.— As  I  shall  have  no  time  to  look 
into  it  while  I  remain  in  this  City,  I  make  a  deposit  of  it 
with  you,  until  I  return  to  Mount  Vernon. — According  to 
Doctr  Edwards  account,  Fulton's  system  is  putting  Lock 
Navigation  out  of  vogue. — I  have  not  read  a  page  in  the 
Book, — but  if  the  Potomack  Company  can  extract  any 
thing  useful  from  it  I  shall  feel  happy  in  having  sent  it  to 
you." 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Catalogue  of  the  Washington  Collection  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  p.  544. 

"You  Are  Just  a  Man!" 

Awhile  since,  in  looking  over  a  Philadelphia  Directory 
for  1797  my  heart  gave  a  great  bound  as  I  came  upon  this 
entry: 

"Washington,  George,  1 90  High  Street." 

To  the  disgrace  of  Philadelphia,  that  house,  second 
only  in  historic  interest  to  Independence  Hall,  was  many 
years  ago  demolished. 

But,  for  a  few  charmed  hours  of  a  midsummer  evening, 
some  twenty  years  ago,  that  mansion  stood  again  for  me, 
and  Washington  walked  again  before  my  eyes,  "in  his 
habit  as  he  lived;"  and  yet  the  only  magic  conjuration  was 
the  clear  memory  of  a  gracious  old  man, ,  who,  in  his  early 
childhood,  was  a  neighbor  of  Washington,  his  parents  living 
on  Sixth  street,  near  High  street. 

At  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Philadelphia,  Gen.  Hector 
Tyndal,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  meet  this  Mr.  Robert  E. 
Gray,  a  man  past  fourscore,  but  wonderfully  well  preserved 
—looking  much  younger  than  his  years — a  gentleman  of  the 
old  school  in  courteousness  of  manner  and  neatness  of  dress, 
tall  and  stately,  and  with  a  fresh  and  handsome  counte- 
nance  

When  I  first  asked  Mr.  Gray  for  his  recollections :     .      . 

"  Was  Washington  the  stately  and  formal  person  he  has 
been  represented? " 


282  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  Yes,  he  was  a  very  dignified  gentleman,  with  the  most 
elegant  manners — very  nice  in  his  dress,  careful  and  punctual. 
I  suppose  he  would  be  thought  a  little  stiff  nowadays." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  him  laugh  heartily? " 

"  Why  no,  I  think  I  never  did. ' ' 

"  Was  he  always  grave,  as  you  remember  him,  or  did  he 
smile  now  and  then? " 

"Why,  bless  you,  yes,  he  always  smiled  on  children! 
He  was  particularly  popular  with  small  boys.  When  he 
went  in  state  to  Independence  Hall,  in  his  cream-colored 
chariot,  drawn  by  six  bays,  and  with  postilions  and  out- 
riders, and  when  he  set  out  for  and  returned  from  Mount 
Vernon,  we  boys  were  on  hand ;  he  could  always  count  us  in, 
to  huzza,  and  wave  our  hats  for  him,  and  he  used  to  touch  his 
hats  to  us  as  politely  as  though  we  had  been  veteran  soldiers 
on  parade." 

"  Were  you  ever  in  his  house  as  a  child? " 

"Oh,  yes;  after  his  great  dinners  he  used  to  tell  the 
steward  to  let  in  the  little  fellows,  and  we,  the  boys  of  the 
immediate  neighborhood,  who  were  never  far  off  on  such 
occasions,  crowded  about  the  table  and  made  quick  work  of 
the  remaining  cakes,  nuts,  and  raisins. 

"  Washington  had  a  habit  of  pacing  up  and  down  the 
large  room  on  the  first  floor,  in  the  early  twilight,  with  his 
hands  behind  him ;  and  one  evening  a  little  boy,  who  had  never 
seen  him,  in  attempting  to  climb  up  to  an  open  window  to 
look  in  upon  him,  fell  and  hurt  himself.  Washington  heard 
him  cry,  rang  for  a  servant,  and  sent  him  to  inquire  about  the 
accident — for,  after  all,  he  was  very  soft-hearted,  at  least 
toward  children.  The  servant  came  back  and  said: 

''  *The  boy  was  trying  to  get  a  look  at  you,  sir. ' 

"Bring  him  in,'  said  the  General,  and,  when  the  boy 
came  in,  he  patted  him  on  the  head  and  said : 

'"You  wanted  to  see  General  Washington,  did  you? 
Well,  I  am  General  Washington. ' 

"  But  the  little  fellow  shook  his  head  and  said : 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  283 

"No,  you  are  only  just  a  man,  I  want  to  see  the 
President. ' 

"  They  say  Washington  laughed,  and  told  the  boy  that 
he  was  the  President,  and  a  man  for  all  that.  Then  he  had 
the  servant  give  the  little  fellow  some  nuts  and  cakes  and 
dismissed  him." 

Stories  and  Sketches,  Grace  Greenwood,  p.  n. 

t 

Publishing  the  Farewell  Address 

The  period  for  the  presidential  election  was  drawing 
near,  and  great  anxiety  began  to  be  felt  that  Washington 
would  consent  to  stand  for  a  third  term.  No  one,  it  was 
agreed,  had  greater  claim  to  the  enjoyment  of  retirement, 
in  consideration  of  public  services  rendered;  but  it  was 
thought  the  affairs  of  the  country  would  be  in  a  very 
precarious  condition  should  he  retire  before  the  wars  of 
Europe  were  brought  to  a  close. 

Washington,  however,  had  made  up  his  mind  irrevoca- 
bly on  the  subject,  and  resolved  to  announce,  in  a  farewell 
address,  his  intention  of  retiring. 

The  publication  of  the  address  produced  a  great  sensa- 
tion. Several  of  the  State  Legislatures  ordered  it  to  be 
put  on  their  journals,  "The  President's  declining  to  be  again 
elected,"  writes  the  elder  Wolcott,  "constitutes  a  most 
important  epoch  in  our  national  affairs." 

The  address  acted  as  a  notice,  to  hush  the  acrimonious 
abuse  of  him  which  the  opposition  was  pouring  forth  under 
the  idea  that  he  would  be  a  candidate  for  a  renomination. 
"It  will  serve  as  a  signal,  like  the  dropping  of  a  hat,  for  the 
party  races  to  start,  "  writes  Fisher  Ames,  "and  I  expect 
a  great  deal  of  noise,  whipping  and  spurring." 

Congress  formed  a  quorum  on  the  fifth  day  of  Decem- 
ber', the  first  day  of  the  session  which  succeeded  the  publi- 
cation of  the  Farewell  Address.  On  the  ;th,  Washington 
met  the  two  Houses  of  Congress  for  the  last  time.  In  his 
speech  he  recommended  an  institution  for  the  improve- 


284  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

ment  of  agriculture,  a  military  academy,  a  national  uni- 
versity, and  a  gradual  increase  of  the  navy. 

"In  pursuing  this  course,  however,  I  cannot  forget 
what  is  due  to  the  character  of  our  government  and  nation, 
or  to  a  full  and  entire  confidence  in  the  good  sense,  patriot- 
ism, self-respect,  and  fortitude  of  my  countrymen." 

In  concluding  his  address  he  observes:  "The  situation 
in  which  I  now  stand  for  the  last  time  in  the  midst  of  the 
representatives  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  naturally 
recalls  the  period  when  the  administration  of  the  present 
form  of  government  commenced,  and  I  cannot  omit  the 
occasion  to  congratulate  you  and  my  country  on  the  success 
of  the  experiment,  nor  to  repeat  my  fervent  supplications 
to  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe  and  Sovereign  Arbiter 
of  nations,  that  his  providential  care  may  be  still  extended 
to  the  United  States ;  that  the  virtue  and  happiness  of  the 
people  may  be  preserved,  and  that  the  government  which 
they  have  instituted  for  the  protection  of  their  liberties  may 
be  perpetual. " 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  311 

More  Farewell  Addresses 

Both  Houses  made  formal  replies  to  the  address.  The 
Senate  attributed  much  of  the  success  of  the  government  to 
the  ability,  firmness,  and  virtue  of  the  President,  and  said: 
"The  most  effectual  consolation  that  can  offer  for  the  loss 
we  are  about  to  sustain  arises  from  the  animating  reflection 
that  the  influence  of  your  example  will  extend  to  your 
succession,  and  the  United  States  thus  continue  to  enjoy 
an  able,  upright  and  energetic  administration.  " 

The  House  replied  in  a  similar  strain,  expressing  earnest 
admiration  of  the  President's  moderation,  magnanimity, 
wisdom  and  firmness,  and  continued,  "  For  our  country's 
sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  republican  liberty,  it  is  our  earnest 
wish  that  your  example  may  be  the  guide  of  your  successors, 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  285 

and  thus,  after  being  the  ornament  and  safeguard  of  the 
present  age,  become  the  patrimony  of  our  descendants. " 

A  Virginian  named  Giles  made  objection  to  the  express- 
ions of  regret  and  admiration;  Mr.  Giles  was  a  Franco- 
maniac.  His  motion  to  expunge  these  expressions  received 
exactly  twelve  votes,  one  of  which  was  cast  by  a  young  Ten- 
nessee member  named  Andrew  Jackson,  who  could  not  avoid 
this  splendid  opportunity  for  blundering.  Addresses, similar 
to  those  of  Congress  began  to  arrive  in  large  quantities  from 
State  legislatures,  city  councils,  etc.,  all  of  which  were  im- 
mensely consoling  to  a  man  who  had  previously  found,  like 
every  other  prominent  man  who  ever  lived,  that  enemies  are 
generally  a  hundred  times  as  noisy  as  friends. 

His  last  torment  in  official  life  was  a  letter  written  by  the 
French  minister  and  given  to  the  newspapers,  denouncing 
the  proclamation  of  neutrality  as  insidious.  This  letter  was 
evidently  written  in  the  interest  (though  undoubtedly  with- 
out the  knowledge)  of  Jefferson,  who  was  a  candidate  for  the 
presidency,  but  it  was  unsuccessful,  for  Adams  was  elected  to 
succeed  Washington. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  312. 

An  Affecting  Scene 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  Washington  went  to  the 
inauguration  of  his  successor  as  President  of  the  United 
States,  The  Federal  Government  was  sitting  at  Philadel- 
phia at  that  time,  and  Congress  held  sessions  in  the  court- 
house on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Chestnut  streets. 

•  At  the  appointed  hour  Washington  entered  the  hall 
followed  by  John  Adams,  who  was  to  take  the  oath  of  office. 
When  they  were  seated  Washington  arose  and  introduced 
Mr.  Adams  to  the  audience,  and  then  proceeded  to  read  in 
a  firm  clear  voice  his  brief  valedictory — not  his  great  "Fare- 
well Address,"  for  that  had  already  been  published.  A 
lady  who  sat  on  "the  front  bench,"  immediately  in  front 
of  Washington,  describes  the  scene  in  these  words: 


2 86  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"There  was  a  narrow  passage  from  the  door  of  entrance 
to  the  room.  General  Washington  stopped  at  the  end  to 
let  Mr.  Adams  pass  to  the  chair.  The  latter  always  wore  a 
suit  of  bright  drab,  with  loose  cuffs  to  his  coat.  General 
Washington's  dress  was  a  full  suit  of  black.  His  military 
hat  had  the  black  cockade.  There  stood  the  '  Father  of  his 
Country'  acknowledged  by  nations  the  first  in  war,  first 
in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.  No 
marshals  with  gold-colored  scarfs  attended  him ;  there  was 
no  cheering,  no  noise ;  the  most  profound  silence  greeted  him 
as  if  the  great  assembly  desired  to  hear  him  breathe.  Mr. 
Adams  covered  his  face  with  both  his  hands ;  the  sleeves  of 
his  coat  and  his  hands  were  covered  with  tears.  Every  now 
and  then  there  was  a  suppressed  sob.  I  cannot  describe 
Washington's  appearance  as  I  felt  it — perfectly  composed 
and  self-possessed  till  the  close  of  his  address.  Then  when 
strong,  nervous  sobs  broke  loose,  when  tears  covered 'the 
faces,  then  the  great  man  was  shaken.  I  never  took  my  eyes 
from  his  face.  Large  drops  came  from  his  eyes.  He  looked 
as  if  his  heart  was  with  them,  and  would  be  to  the  end," 

Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know,   Edited  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  p    274 

X 

"If  There  Ever  Was  a  Period  of  Rejoicing,  This  Is  the 
Moment!" 

"  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,"  was  the  pious  ejacu- 
lation of  a  man  who-beheld  a  flood  of  happiness  rushing  upon 
mankind.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  that  would  license  the 
reiteration  of  the  exclamation,  that  time  is  now  arrived ;  for 
the  man  who  is  the  source  of  all  the  misfortunes  of  our 
country,  is  this  day  reduced  to  a  level  with  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  is  no  longer  possessed  of  power  to  multiply  evils  upon  the 
United  States.  If  ever  there  was  a  period  for  rejoicing,  this 
is  the  moment ;  every  heart  in  unison  with  the  freedom  and 
happiness  of  the  people,  ought  to  beat  high  with  exultation 
that  the  name  of  Washington,  from  this  day,  ceases  to  give  a 


HIS  SECOND  TERM  287 

currency  to  political  iniquity,  and  to  legalize  corruption.  A 
new  era  is  now  opening  upon  us,  an  era  which  promises  much 
to  the  people ;  for  public  measures  must  now  stand  upon  their 
own  merits,  and  nefarious  projects  can  no  longer  be  sup- 
ported by  a  name.  When  a  retrospect  is  taken  of  Wash- 
ington's administration  for  eight  years,  it  is  a  subject  of  the 
greatest  astonishment  that  a  single  individual  should  have 
cankered  the  principles  of  republicanism  in  an  enlightened 
people,  just  emerging  from  the  gulf  of  despotism,  and  should 
have  carried  his  designs  against  the  public  liberty  so 
far  as  to  have  put  in  jeopardy  its  very  existence.  Such,  how- 
ever, are  the  facts,  and  with  these  staring  us  in  the  face,  this 
day  ought  to  be  a  JUBILEE  in  the  United  States. 

Aurora,  (newspaper)  Edited  by  Benjamin  Franklin  Bache,  March  7,  i?97. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 
THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON 

Only  a  Man  after  All 

On  reaching  Mount  Vernon,  Washington  was  quickly 
reminded  that  he  was  only  a  man,  for,  his  house  being  out 
of  repairs,  he  was  obliged  to  fill  it  with  carpenters,  plasterers, 
and  painters.  "  I  have  scarcely  a  room  to  put  a  friend  into, 
or  to  sit  in  myself,  without  the  music  of  hammer  or  the 
odoriferous  smell  of  paint. "  But,  as  there  were  no  plumbers 
in  those  days,  his  repairs  were  completed  without  driving 
him  into  bankruptcy  or  the  grave.  Then  he  began  to 
enjoy  himself ;  he  wrote  to  his  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
that  "To  make  and  sell  a  little  flour  annually,  to  repair 
houses  fast  going  to  ruin,  to  build  for  the  security  of  my 
papers  of  a  public  nature,  and  to  amuse  myself  in  agricul- 
tural and  rural  pursuits,  will  constitute  employment  for 
the  few  years  I  have  to  remain  on  this  terrestrial  globe. 
If  also  I  could  now  and  then  meet  the  friends  I  esteem,  it 
would  fill  the  measure  and  add  zest  to  my  enjoyment,  but 
if  this  ever  happens,  it  must  be  under  my  own  vine  and  fig- 
tree,  as  I  do  not  think  it  probable  that  I  shall  go  beyond 
twenty  miles  from  there. ' ' 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  314. 

Neighbor,  Business  Man  and  Juryman 

Dr.  Edward  Everett  Hale  made  the  statement,  in 
lectures  and  conversations,  that  there  is  good  authority 
for  the  belief  that  one  reason  for  Washington's  declining 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  for  a  third  election  to  the 
presidency  was  because  he  was  by  no  means  certain  of 
carrying  his  own  State,  Virginia.  While  all  the  other 

(288) 


From  the  Original  by  Gilbert  Stuart 

in  the  Museum  of  the  Fine  Arts,  Boston. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  289 

States  would  doubtless  have  elected  him,  he  seemed  to  feel 
it  keenly  that  he  was  "not  without  honor  save  in  his  own 
country." 

This  belief  is  corroborated,  at  least,  by  the  fact  that, 
even  as  late  as  September  in  the  year  1796,  John  Adams 
was  elected  President  he  did  not  know,  nor  did  Washington 
himself  seem  to  know,  whether  he  intended  to  accept  a 
third  term. 

Also,  on  the  same  authority,  Hannibal  Hamlin,  Vice- 
President  during  Lincoln's  first  term,  used  to  relate  that, 
in  1842,  when  Hamlin  began  his  first  term  in  Congress, 
there  were  Virginians  still  living  at  the  national  capital 
who  knew  Washington  personally.  The  neighbors,  after 
his  retirement,  used  to  consult  him  about  common  farm 
and  business  matters,  and,  notwithstanding  the  immortal 
services  he  had  given  his  country,  he  even  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  county  jury, 
w.  w. 

"  Mr.  Stuart  Is  Right " 

Stuart,  the  portrait  painter,  once  said  to  General  Lee 
that  Washington  had  a  tremendous  temper,  but  that  he 
had  it  under  wonderful  control.  While  dining  with  the 
Washingtons,  General  Lee  repeated  the  first  part  of  Stuart's 
remark.  Mrs.  Washington  flushed  and  said  that  Mr. 
Stuart  took  a  great  deal  upon  himself.  Then  General  Lee 
said  that  Mr.  Stuart  had  added  that  the  President  had  his 
temper  under  wonderful  control.  Washington  seemed  to 
be  thinking  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  smiled  and  said, 
"Mr.  Stuart  is  right." 

Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler,  p.  343. 

"A  Great  Deal  of  My  Work  Is  Done  while  Others  Sleep" 

Washington's  last  days,  like  those  that  preceded  them 
in  the  course  of  a  long  and  well-spent  life,  were  devoted  to 


29o  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


constant  and  careful  employment.  His  correspondence  both 
at  home  and  abroad  was  immense.  Yet  no  letter  was  un- 
answered. One  of  the  best-bred  men  of  his  time,  Washing- 
ton deemed  it  a  grave  offense  against  the  rules  of  good 
manners  and  propriety  to  leave  letters  unanswered.  He 
wrote  with  great  facility  and  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter 
to  find  another  who  had  written  so  much,  whq  had  written 
so  well .  General  Harry  Lee  once  observed  so  him : 

"  We  are  amazed,  sir,  at  the  vast  amount  of  work  you 
get  through."  Washington  answered,  "Sir,  I  rise  at  four 
o'clock,  and  a  great  deal  of  my  work  is  done  while  others 
sleep." 

Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know,  Edited  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  p.  277. 

Washington  and  the  Federal  City 

Although  Washington  never  lived  in  the  White  House 
he  did  more  than  any  other  man  toward  making  it  what  it 
is  and  what  it  stands  for  to-day. 

Btit  there  was  no  national  capital ;  even  the  President's 
official  residence  had  to  be  rented.  The  people  in  the 
southern  States,  of  course,  objected  to  having  a  capital 
as  far  north  as  New  York.  Philadelphia  was  nearer  the 
center  of  population,  but  the  most  influential  men  of  the 
•time  lived  in  Virginia.  Washington,  "the  Father  of  his 
Country";  Jefferson,  "the  writer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence";  Madison,  "the  Father  of  the  Constitu- 
tion"; and  Monroe,  originator  of  "the  Monroe  Doctrine," 
all  lived  in  Virginia,  within  driving  distance  of  one  another. 
They  were  four  of  the  first  five  Presidents  of  the  United 
States,  each  of  them  for  eight  years,  while  John  Adams, 
the  only  President  from  another  State,  served  only  one 
term  of  four  years,  so  that,  of  the  first  thirty-six  years  after 
the  establishment  of  the  presidential  office,  thirty-two  were 
filled  by  Virginians  (after  that  three  more  Presidents, 
Harrison,  Tyler  and  Taylor  were  Virginia-born) ;  so  Vir- 
ginia was  well  named  "the  Mother  of  Presidents."  It  was 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  291 

natural  that  Virginia,  and  the  States  farther  south,  were 
desirous  of  having  the  national  capital  located  nearer  the 
geographical  center  of  the  thirteen  original  States.  On 
the  other  hand,  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  the  other 
States  objected  to  the  selection  of  a  Virginia  city  for  the 
capital  of  the  whole  nation.  Therefore,  the  States  of 
Virginia  and  Maryland  each  gave  a  little  territory  to  make 
a  tract  ten  miles  square,  which  they  called  the  District  of 
Columbia.  The  location  of  this  district,  for  "the  Federal 
City,"  was  left  to  Washington,  and  he  chose  the  present 
site  on  the  Potomac  river,  a  few  hours'  drive  from  Mount 
Vernon,  his  beautiful  home  estate. 

The  Story  of  tlie  White  House,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  n. 

"What  Would  You  Have  Been,  Meesther  Washington?" 

He  retired  to  his  home  at  Mount  Vernon  where  he  had 
been  allowed  to  stay  but  a  few  years  out  of  the  nearly 
fifty  he  had  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country.  He  had 
been  loyal  and  true  to  the  king  as  long  as  he  could'  be 
without  sacrificing  sacred  principles  and  his  higher  manhood. 
After  a  heroic  life  of  toil,  hardships,  privations  and  dangers, 
he  was  an  old  man  before  his  time,  for  he  was  only  sixty-five 
when  he  went  to  take  a  well-earned  rest  at  beautiful  Mount 
Vernon.  Yet  he  had  but  little  rest,  for  he  often  drove 
over  to  superintend  the  building  of  the  palace  he  was  never 
to  see  occupied. 

It  is  too  easy,  now,  to  think  of  Washington  as  having 
had  everything  in  his  favor.  But  the  English  were  not 
his  bitterest  enemies.  "A  prophet  is  not  without  honor 
save  in  his  own  country ' ' — and  city.  Many  were  incapable 
of  appreciating  his  greatness.  They  were  mentally  near- 
sighted, and  they  were  too  near  him.  When  you  stand 
near  a  mountain,  you  see  only  a  part  of  it  and  can't  take  in 
its  true  grandeur.  There  was  an  old  Scotchman,  Davie 
Burns,  who  lived  in  a  little  cottage  between  the  hill  on 
which  they  were  erecting  "the  palace"  and  the  Potomac, 


292  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

where  a  wharf  had  been  built  to  receive  the  sandstone 
brought  there  for  it  from  Virginia  and  Maryland.  Davie 
Burns  made  a  great  fuss  and  did  his  best  to  hinder  and 
annoy  the  laborers,  because  the  stone  for  the"  building  had 
to  be  hauled  across  his  land.  As  this  did  not  interfere 
with  Burns  in  any  way,  it  was  very  unreasonable  of  him, 
since  much  of  the  land  for  the  Federal  City  had  been  pur- 
chased from  him.  In  fact,  it  was  making  him  a  rich  man. 
Washington,  one  day,  took  occasion  to  remonstrate  with 
him,  reminding  him  that  but  for  the  building  of  the  national 
capital  on  his  land,  he  would  have  lived  on  to  the  end 
"nothing  but  a  poor  tobacco  planter." 

"Aye,  mon!"  retorted  the  little  Scotchman  in  great 
wrath,  "and  what  would  you  have  been,  Meesther  Wash- 
ington, if  you  hadn't  married  the  Widow  Custis,  with  all 
her  niggers?  You'd  be  nothing  but  a  land  surveyor  to-day, 
and  a  mighty  poor  one  at  that!" 

-This  must  have  been  a  new  idea  to  Washington.  Here 
was  an  old  fellow  without  patriotism.  Evidently  he  was 
grossly  ignorant  of  everything  George  Washington  had 
done  to  make'  this  the  greatest  and  best  country  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  He  was  a  too  near  neighbor.  He 
couldn't  see  beyond  the  "niggers"  of  the  "Widow  Custis!" 
In  a  letter  to  a  friend  after  this,  Washington  mentioned 
the  little  old  Scotchman  as  "the  obstinate  Mr.  Burns." 

The  Story  of  the  White  House,  Wayne  Whipple,  p.  15. 

"Ah,  Lee,  You  Are  a  Funny  Fellow!" 

Colonel  Harry  Lee,  too,  who  used  to  be  a  favorite 
guest  at  Mount  Vernon,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  much 
under  the  influence  of  that  "reverential  awe"  which  Wash- 
ington is  said  to  have  inspired;  if  we  may  judge  from  the 
following  anecdote.  Washington  one  day  at  table  men- 
tioned his  being  in  want  of  carriage  horses,  and  asked  Lee 
if  he  knew  where  he  could  get  a  pair. 

"I  have  a  fine  pair,  General,"  replied  Lee,  "but  you 
cannot  get.  them. " 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  293 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  you  will  never  pay  more  than  half  price  for 
anything ;  and  I  must  have  full  price  for  my  horses. " 

This  bantering  reply  set  Mrs.  Washington  laughing, 
and  her  parrot,  perched  beside  her,  joined  in  the  laugh. 
The  General  took  this  familiar  assault  upon  his  dignity  in 
great  good  part. 

"Ah,  Lee,  you  are  a  funny  fellow,"  said  he — "see,  that 
bird  is  laughing  at  you!" 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  IV.  p.   40. 

"Dabs  about  in  Every  Hole  and  Corner" 

His  niece,  Harriot,  who  lived  in  the  Washington  home 
from  1785  to  1796,  was  a  great  trial  to  him.  "She  has," 
he  wrote,  "no  disposition  to  be  careful  of  her  clothes,  which 
she  dabs  about  in  every  hole  and  corner,  and  'her  best 
things  always  in  use,  so  that  she  costs  me  enough. " 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  a  truly  great  man  is  his 
readiness  to  ask  pardon.  Once  when  Nelly  Custis,  Mrs. 
Washington's  granddaughter,  was  severely  reprimanded 
for  walking  alone  by  moonlight  in  the  grounds  of  Mount 
Vernon,  Washington  tried  to  intercede  for  the  girl. 

"Perhaps  she  was  not  alone;  I  would  say  no  more," 
he  said. 

"Sir,"  said  Nelly  Custis,  "you  have  brought  me  up 
to  speak  the  truth,  and  when  I  told  grandmother  that  I  was 
alone,  I  hoped  that  you  would  believe  me." 

"My  child,"  said  Washington,  bowing  in  his  courtly 
fashion,  "  I  beg  your  pardon.  " 

Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler,  p.  241. 

Physical  Proportions  of  Washington 

In  person  Washington  was  unique.  He  looked  like  no 
one  else.  To  a  stature  lofty  and  commanding  he  united  a 
form  of  the  manliest  proportions,  and  a  dignified,  graceful, 


294  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  imposing  carriage.  In  the  prime  of  life  he  stood  six 
feet  two  inches.  From  the  period  of  the  Revolution  there 
was  an  evident  bending  in  his  frame  so  passing  straight 
before,  but  the  stoop  came  from  the  cares  and  toils  of  that 
arduous  contest  rather  than  from  years.  For  his  step  was 
firm,  his  appearance  noble  and  impressive  long  after  the 
time  when  the  physical  properties  of  men  are  supposed  to 
wane. 

A  majestic  height  was  met  by  corresponding  breadth 
and  firmness.  His  whole  person  was  so  cast  in  nature's 
finest  mould  as  to  resemble  an  ancient  statue,  all  of  whose 
parts  unite  to  the  perfection  of  the  whole.  But  with  all  its 
development  of  muscular  power,  Washington's  form  had  no 
look  of  bulkine»s,  and  so  harmonious  were,  its  proportions 
that  he  did  not  appear  so  tall  as  his  portraits  have  repre- 
sented. .He  was  rather  spare  than  full  during  his  whole  life. 

The  strength  of  Washington's  arm  was  shown  on 
several  occasions.  He  threw  a  stone  from  the  bed  of  the 
stream  to  the  top  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  Virginia,  and 
another  stone  across  the  Rappahannock  at  Fredericksburg. 
The  stone  was  said  to  be  a  piece  of  slate  about  the  size  of  a 
dollar  with  which  he  spanned  the  bold  river,  and  it  took 
the  ground  at  least  thirty  yards  on  the  other  side.  Many 
have  since  tried  this  feat,  but  none  have  cleared  the 
water.  .  . "  ,, : 

Washington's  powers  were  chiefly  in  his  limbs.  His 
frame  was  of  equal  breadth  from  the  shoulders  to  the  hips. 
His  chest  was  not  prominent  but  rather  hollowed  in  the 
center.  He  never  entirely  recovered  from  a  pulmonary 
affection  from  which  he  suffered  in  early  life.  His  frame 
showed  an  extraordinary  development  of  bone  and  muscle, 
his  joints  were  large,  as  were  his  feet ;  and  could  a  cast  of 
his  hand  have  been  preserved,  it  would  have  been  ascribed 
to  a  being  of  a  fabulous  age.  Lafayette  said,  "  I  never  saw 
any  human  being  with  a  hand  so  large  as  the  General's. " 

Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Knou:  Edited  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  p.  a8o. 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  295 


How  He  Was  Dressed 

The  Washington  family  were  subject  to  hereditary 
gout.  The  chief  never  experienced  a  pang.  His  temper- 
ance, and  the  energetic  employment  of  both  his  body  and 
mind,  seemed  to  forbid  the  approach  of  a  disease  which 
severely  afflicted  several  of  his  nearest  kindred.  His 
illnesses  were  of  rare  occurrence,  but  were  particularly  severe. 
His  aversion  to  the  use  of  medicine  was  extreme ;  and,  even 
when  in  great  suffering,  it  was  only  by  the  entreaties  of  his 
lady,  and  the  respectful,  yet  beseeching  look  of  his  oldest  friend 
and  companion  in  arms  (Dr.  James  Craik) ,  that  he  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  take  the  slightest  preparation  of  medicine. 

General  Washington,  during  the  whole  of  his  public 
and  private  life,  was  a  very  early  riser ;  indeed,  in  the  maternal 
mansion,  at  which  his  first  habits  were  formed,  the  character 
of  a  sluggard  was  abhorred.  Whether  as  chief  magistrate,  or 
the  retired  citizen,  we  find  this  man  of  method  and  labor  seated 
in  his  library  from  one  to  two  hours  before  day,  in  winter,  and 
at  daybreak  in  summer.  We  wonder  at  the  amazing  amount 
of  work  which  he  performed.  Nothing  but  a  method  the  most 
remarkable  and  exemplary  could  have  enabled  him  to  accom- 
plish such  a  world  of  labor,  an  amount  which  might  have  given 
pretty  full  employment  to  half  a  dozen  ordinary  and  not  idle 
men  all  their  lives.  When  we  consider  the  volume  of  his 
official  papers — his  vast  foreign,  public  and  private  corres- 
pondence— we  are  scarcely  able  to  believe  that  the  space  of 
one  man's  life  could  have  comprehended  the  doing  of  many 
things  and  doing  them  so  well. 

His  toilet  was  soon  made.  A  single  servant  prepared 
his  clothes,  and  laid  them  in  readiness.  He  also  combed 
and  tied  his  hair.  He  shaved  and  dressed  himself,  but 
giving  very  little  of  his  precious  time  to  matters  of  that 
sort,  though  remarkable  for  the  neatness  and  propriety  of 
his  apparel.  His  clothes  were  made  after  the  old-fashioned 
cut  of  the  best,  though  plainest  materials. 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis, 
p.  162. 


296  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


What  He  Ate 

The  library  and  a  visit  to  the  stables  occupied  the 
morning  until  the  hour  of  breakfast.  This  meal  was  without 
change  to  him,  whose  habits  were  regular,  even  to  matters 
which  others  are  so  apt  to  indulge  themselves  in  to  an 
endless  variety.  Indian  cakes,  honey,  and  tea,  formed 
this  temperate  repast.  On  rising  from  the  table,  if  there 
were  guests  (and  it  was  seldom  otherwise),  books  and 
papers  were  offered  for  their  amusement;  they  were  re- 
quested to  take  good  care  of  themselves,  and  the  illustrious 
farmer  proceeded  to  the  daily  tour  of  his  agricultural  con- 
cerns. He  rode  upon  his  farms  entirely  unattended, 
opening  his  gates,  pulling  down  and  putting  up  his  fences, 
as  he  passed,  visiting  his  laborers  at  their  work,  inspecting 
all  the  operations  of  his  extensive  agricultural  establish- 
ments with  a  careful  eye,  directing  useful  improvements, 
and  superintending  them  in  their  progress.  He  introduced 
many  and  valuable  foreign  as  well  as  domestic  modes  of 
improved  husbandry,  showing,  by  experiment,  their  prac- 
tical utility,  and  a  peculiar  adaptment  to  our  system  of 
rural  affairs;  and,  by  his  zeal  and  ability,  "gave  a  speed  to 
the  plow,"  and  a  generous  impulse  to  the  cause  of  agricul- 
tural and  domestic  economy — those  important  sources 
of  national  wealth,  industry,  and  independence. 

The  tour  of  the  farms  might  average  from  ten  to 
fifteen  miles  per  day.  An  anecdote  occurs  to  us  at  this 
moment,  which,  as  it  embraces  a  Revolutionary  worthy, 
a  long-tried  and  valued  friend  of  the  chief,  and  is  descriptive 
of  Washington  on  his  farm,  we  shall,  without  apology 
present  it  to  our  readers. 

We  were  accosted  while  hunting  by  an  elderly  stranger, 
who  inquired  whether  the  General  was  to  be  found  at  the 
mansion  house,  or  whether  he  had  gone  to  visit  his  estate. 
We  replied,  that  he  was  abroad,  and  gave  directions  as  to 
the  route  the  stranger  was  to  pursue,  observing  at  the 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  297 

same  time,  "You  will  meet,  sir,  with  an  old  gentleman 
riding  alone,  in  plain  drab  clothes,  a  broad-brimmed  white 
hat,  a  hickory  switch  in  his  hand,  and  carrying  an  umbrella 
with  a  long  staff,  which  is  attached  to  his  saddlebow — that 
person,  sir,  is  General  Washington!" 

Recollections  of  Washington,  by  His  Adopted  Son,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
p.  166. 

"Laughing  until  Tears  Rolled  down  His  Face" 

When  at  home  he  amused  himself  by  managing  his 
estate;  as  the  land  under  cultivation  exceeded  five  square 
miles,  and  his  stables  and  pastures  contained  several 
hundred  horses  and  cattle,  he  could  hardly  have  found  time 
to  tell  stories  at  the  village  store,  had  there  been  such  a 
place.  With  all  the  responsibilities  of  a  farmer,  however, 
he  seemed  to  have  none  of  the  vices  peculiar  to  that  station 
of  life;  indeed,  so  different  from  the  farmer  of  the  present 
day  was  he,  that  instead  of  cutting  down  shade  trees 
wherever  he  found  them,  he  planted  a  great  many;  at 
Mount  Vernon,  more  than  anywhere  else,  men  learned  that 
the  elm  was  not  the  only  tree  that  could  cast  a  shadow, 
and  he  set  the  fashion  of  planting  the  beautiful  horse- 
chestnut  by  bringing  many  of  the  seeds  with  him  on  his 
return  from  a  trip  to  what  is  now  the  "  Buckeye  state. " 

Much  as  he  tried,  however,  to  be  a  simple  farmer  and 
no  better  than  his  neighbors,  he  had  still  to  suffer  many 
of  the  miseries  of  greatness.  Once  he  had  been  great; 
that  was  enough  to  make  his  mere  presence  overawe  many 
people  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  so  when  he  wanted 
to  enjoy  the  spectacle  of  a  merry  company  he  frequently 
had  to  keep  himself  behind  a  door  and  peer  through  the 
crack.  With  those  who  knew  him  well  and  familiarly,  he 
was  not  treated  as  an  idol  but  was  allowed  to  behave  as  a 
human  being  and  be  treated  as  one,  and  numerous  letters 
and  other  records  prove  that  in  such  circumstances  he 
could  be  jolly  good  company.  It  was  impossible  for  him 


298  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

not  to  be  thoughtful — not  to  be  silent  when  he  had  any- 
thing to  think  about,  but  he  was  among  the  first  to  be 
•'iifected  by  any  merriment  about  him.  There  is  a  pleasant 
story  about  his  frequently  growing  hilarious  with  old 
friends  at  Fredericksburg  and  laughing  at  comic  songs. 
Miss  Custis,  the  daughter  of  Washington's  stepson,  said, 
"  I  have  sometimes  made  him  laugh  most  heartily  from 
sympathy  with  my  joyous  and  extravagant  spirits,"  and 
horrible  as  it  may  seem  to  some  of  his  worshipers,  there  are 
several  well  authenticated  reports  of  his  laughing  until 
tears  rolled  down  his  face. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  259. 

Advice  in  a  Love  Affair 

"  Men  and  women  feel  the  same  inclination  toward 
each  other  now  that  they  always  have  done,  and  which 
they  will  continue  to  do  until  there  is  a  new  order  of  things, 
and  you,  as  others  have  done,  may  find  that  the  passions  of 
our  sex  are  easier  raised  than  allayed.  Do  not,  therefore, 
boast  too  soon  or  too  strongly  of  your  insensibility. 
Love  is  said  to  be  an  involuntary  passion,  and  it  is  there- 
fore contended  that  it  cannot  be  resisted.  This  is  true  in 
part  only,  for,  like  all  things  else,  when  nourished  and 
supplied  plentifully  with  aliment,  it  is  rapid  in  its  progress, 
but  let  these  be  withdrawn  and  it  may  be  stifled  in  its 
birth  or  much  stunted  in  its  growth.  .  .  .  Although 
we  cannot  avoid  first  impressions,  we  may  assuredly  place 
them  under  guard.  .  .  .  When  the  fire  is  beginning 
to  kindle,  and  your  heart  growing  warm,  propound  these 
questions  to  it:  Who  is  this  invader?  Have  I  a  com- 
petent knowledge  of  him?  Is  he  a  man  of  good  character? 
A  man  of  sense?  (for  be  assured  a  sensible  woman  can  never 
be  happy  with  a  fool).  What  has  been  his  walk  in  life? 
Is  his  fortune  sufficient  to  maintain  me  in  the 
manner  I  have  been  accustomed  to  live,  and  in  which  my 
sisters  live?  And  is  he  one  to  whom  my  friends  can  have 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  299 

no  reasonable  objection?  If  all  these  interrogatories  can 
be  satisfactorily  answered,  there  will  remain  but  one  more 
to  be  asked;  that,  however,  is  an  important  one.  Have  I 
sufficient  ground  to  conclude  that  his  affections  are  engaged 
by  me?'] 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  317. 

A  Letter  to  Kosciuszko 

"  MOUNT  VERNON,  i$th.  Octr.  1797. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  Your  favour  dated  Elizabeth  Town  October — has  been 
duly  received. — I  am  sorry  that  the  state  of  your  health 
should  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  your  company  at  this 
place, — and  I  regret  still  more  that  the  pain  you  feel  from 
the  wounds  you  have  received  though  glorious  for  your 
reputation  is  the  occasion  of  it. 

"  Whatever  I  can  do  as  a  private  citizen  (and  in  no  other 
capacity  I  can  now  act)  consistently,  with  the  plan  I  have 
laid  down  for  my  future  government,  you  may  freely  com- 
mand.— You  will  find,  however,  contrary  as  it  may  be  to 
your  expectation  or  wishes,  that  all  pecuniary  matters  must 
flow  from  the  Legislature  and  in  a  form  which  cannot  be 
dispensed  with — I  may  add  I  am  sure,  that  your  claim  upon 
the  justice  &  feelings  of  this  country  will  meet  with  no 
delay — Nor  do  I  suppose  that  the  loss  of  your  certificate 
will  be  any  impediment. — Your  rank  and  services  in  the 
American  Army  are  too  well  known  to  require  that  testi- 
mony of  your  claim  and  the  Books  of  the  Treasury  will 
show  that  you  have  received  nothing  in  discharge  of  it — or 
if  any  part,  to  what  amount. — With  the  highest  esteem  & 
regard  and  respect. 

"  I  am,  Dear  Sir 
"  Your  Most  Obedt.  Hble.  Servant  " 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 
"  To  General  Tadeusz  Koscieuszko. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  237. 


3oo  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


"  Marriage  the  Most  Interesting  Event  " 

However  well  Washington  thought  of  "the  honorable 
state,"  he  was  no  match-maker,  and  when  asked  to  give 
advice  to  the  widow  of  Jack  Custis,  replied,  "  I  never  did, 
nor  do  I  believe  I  ever  shall,  give  advice  to  a  woman,  who 
is  setting  out  on  a  matrimonial  voyage;  first,  because  I 
never  could  advise  one  to  marry  without  her  own  consent; 
and,  secondly,  because  I  know  it  is  to  no  purpose  to  advise 
her  to  refrain,  when  she  has  obtained  it.  A  woman  very 
rarely  asks  an  opinion  or  requires  advice  on  such  an  occasion, 
till  her  resolution  is  formed;  and  then  it  is  with  the  hope 
and  expectation  of  obtaining  a  sanction,  not  that  she 
means  to  be  governed  by  your  disapprobation,  that  she 
applies.  In  a  word  the  plain  English  of  the  application 
may  be  summed  up  in  these  words :  '  I  wish  you  to  think  as 
I  do;  but,  if  unhappily  you  differ  from  me  in  opinion,  my 
heart,  I  must  confess,  is  fixed  and  I  have  gone  too  far  now 
to  retract." 

Again  he  wrote : 

"  It  has  ever  been  a  maxim  with  me  through  life, 
neither  to  promote  nor  prevent  a  matrimonial  connection, 
unless  there  should  be  something  indispensably  requiring 
interference  in  the  latter.  I  have  always  considered  mar- 
riage as  the  most  interesting  event  of  one's  life,  the  founda- 
tion of  happiness  or  misery.  To  be  instrumental  therefore 
in  bringing  two  people  together,  who  are  indifferent  to  each 
other,  and  may  soon  become  objects  of  disgust;  or  to  pre- 
vent a  union,  which  is  prompted  by  the  affections  of  the 
mind,  is  what  I  never  could  reconcile  with  reason,  and 
therefore  neither  directly  nor  indirectly  have  I  ever  said 
a  word  to  Fanny  or  George,  upon  the  subject  of  their 
intended  connection." 

The  question  whether  Washington  was  a  faithful 
husband  might  well  be  left  to  the  facts  already  given,  were 
it  not  that  stories  of  his  immorality  are  bandied  about  in 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  301 

clubs,  a  well-known  clerygman  has  vouched  for  their  truth, 
and  a  United  States  senator  has  given  further  currency  to 
them  by  claiming  special  knowledge  on  the  subject.  Since 
such  are  the  facts,  it -seems  best  to  consider  the  question 
and  show  what  evidence  there  actually  is  for  these  stories, 
that  at  least  the  pretended  "letters,"  etc.,  which  are  always 
being  cited,  and  are  never  produced,  may  no  longer  have 
credence  put  in  them,  and  the  true  basis  for  all  the  stories 
may  be  known  and  valued  at  its  worth. 

The  True  George  Washington,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  p.  104. 

"  I  May  Be  Looking  in  Doomsday  Book  " 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say  that  could  either  inform  or 
amuse  a  Secretary  of  War  at  Philadelphia.  I  might  tell 
him  that  I  begin  my  diurnal  course  with  the  sun,  that  if 
my  hirelings  are  not  in  their  places  at  that  time,  I  send 
them  messages  of  sorrow  for  their  indisposition,  that  having 
put  these  wheels  in  motion,  I  examine  the  state  of  things 
further;  that  the  more  they  are  probed  the  deeper  I  find 
the  wounds  that  my  buildings  have  sustained  by  an  absence 
and  neglect  of  eight  years;  that  by  the  time  I  have  accom- 
plished these  matters  .  .  .  breakfast  is  ready;  that 
this  being  over,  I  mount  my  horse  and  ride  round  my  farm, 
which  employs  me  until  it  is  time  to  dress  for  dinner,  at 
which  I  rarely  miss  seeing  strange  faces,  come,  they  say, 
out  of  respect  to  me. .  Pray,  would  not  the  word  curiosity 
answer  as  well?  How  different  this  from  having  a  few 
friends  at  a  cheerful  board! 

"  The  usual  time  of  sitting  at  table,  talk,  and  tea  bring 
me  within  the  dawn  of  candlelight,  previous  to  which,  if 
not  prevented  by  company,  I  resolve  that  as  soon  as  the 
glimmering  taper  supplies  the  place  of  the  great  luminary 
I  will  retire  to  my  writing-table  and  acknowledge  the  letters 
I  have  received,  but  when  the  lights  are  brought,  I  feel 
tirea  and  disinclined  to  engage  in  this  work,  conceiving  that 
the  next  night  will  do  as  well.  The  next  night  comes,  and 
with  it  the  same  cause  for  postponement  and  so  on. 


3o2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHIXGTOX 

Having  given  you  the  history  of  a  day,  it  will  serve  for 
a  year,  and  I  am  persuaded  you  will  not  require  a  second 
edition  of  it.  But  it  may  strike  you  that  in  this  detail  no 
mention  is  made  of  any  portion  of  time  allotted  for  reading. 
The  remark  would  be  just,  for  I  have  not  looked  into  a  book 
since  I  came  home,  nor  shall  I  be  able  to  do  it  until  I  have 
discharged  my  workmen — probably  not  before  the  nights 
grow  longer,  when  possibly  I  may  be  looking  in  Doomsdav 
Book." 

Gtorge  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  315. 

Washington  as  a  Joker 

Washington  was  something  of  a  joker  himself  in  his 
kindly,  ponderous  way.  Once  he  wrote : 

"  Without  a  coinage,  or  unless  a  stop  can  be  put  to  the 
cutting  and  clipping  of  money,  our  dollars,  pistareens,  etc., 
will  be  converted,  as  Teague  says,  into  five  quarters!" 

While  the  Federalists  were  being  accused  of  stealing 
from  the  public  treasury,  Washington  wrote  facetiously 
to  a  member  of  the  Cabinet: 

"  And  pray,  my  good  sir,  what  part  of  the  $800,000  have 
come  to  your  share?  As  you  are  high  in  office,  I  hope  you 
did  not  disgrace  yourself  in  the  acceptance  of  a  paltry  bribe 
— $100,000  perhaps!" 

After  a  certain  poetess  had  sent  him  some  verses  which 
praised  him  in  a  somewhat  fulsome  manner,  he  wrote  to 
thank  her,  and  ended  his  letter  with  this  labored  humor : 

"Fiction  is  sure  to  be  the  very  life  and  soul  of  poetry. 
All  poets  and  poetesses  have  been  indulged  in  the  free  and 
indisputable  use  of  it,  time  out  of  mind.  And  to  oblige 'you 
to  make  such  an  excellent  poem  on  such  a  subject  without 
any  materials  but  those  of  simple  reality  would  be  as  cruel 
as  the  edict  of  Pharaoh  which  compelled  the  children  of 
Israel  to  manufacture  bricks  without  the  necessary  ingre- 
dients." 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  303 

Washington  even  joked  about  his  own  death.  In 
writing  out  a  letter  for  his  wife  to  copy  he  continued : 

"  I  am  now  by  desire  of  the  General  to  add  a  few  words 
on  his  behalf;  which  he  desires  may  be  expressed  in  the 
terms  following,  that  is  to  say — that  despairing  of  hearing 
what  may  be  said  of  him,  if  he  should  really  go  off  in  an 
apoplectic,  or  any  other  fit  (for  he  thinks  all  fits  that  issue 
in  death  are  worse  than  a  love  fit,  a  fit  of  laughter,  and 
many  other  kinds  that  he  could  name) — he  is  glad  to  hear 
beforehand  what  will  be  said  of  him  on  that  occasion;  con- 
ceiving that  nothing  extra  will  happen  between  this  and 
then  to  make  a  change  in  his  character  for  better,  or  for 
worse.  And  besides,  as  he  has  entered  into  an  engagement 
not  to  quit  this  world  before  the  year  1800,  it 
may  be  relied  upon  that  no  breach  of  contract  shall  be  laid 
to  him  on  that  account,  unless  dire  necessity  should  bring 
it  about,  maugre  all  his  exertions  to  the  contrary.  In  that 
case,  he  shall  hope  they  would  do  by  him  as  he  would  do 
by  them — excuse  it.  At  present  there  seems  to  be  no 
danger  of  his  thus  giving  them  the  slip,  as  neither  his  health 
nor  his  spirits  were  ever  in  greater  flow,  notwithstanding 
he  adds,  he  is  descending,  and  has  almost  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  hill;  or  in  other  words,  the  shades  below. 
For  your  particular  good  wishes  on  this  occasion  he  charges 
me  to  say  that  he  feels  highly  obliged,  and  that  he  recipro- 
cates them  with  great  cordiality." 
w.  w. 

"  What  Has  Not  Been  Done  within  the  Last  Twenty 
Years  by  Us  " 

"Dear  Sir, 

"  I  am  alone  at  present,  and  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  this 
evening. 

"Unless  some  one  pops  in,  unexpectedly — Mrs.  Wash- 
ington &  myself  will  do  what  I  believe  has  not  been  done 


3o4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

within  the  last  twenty  Years  by  us, — that  is  to  set  down  to 
dinner  by  ourselves.     I  am 

"Your  Affectionate" 
[Mr.  Tobias  Lear.]  [G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  1 20. 

"I  Should  Not  Intrench  Myself  under  Cover  of  Age" 

(Letter  to  John  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States.) 

"Mount  Vernon,  4  July,  1798. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  Not  being  in  the  habit,  since  my  return  to  private  life, 
of  sending  regularly  to  the  post-office,  (nine  miles  from 
hence)  every  post-day,  it  often  happens  that  letters  addresssed 
to  me  lye  longer  there  on  that  account,  than  they  otherwise 
would  do. 

"  I  have  delayed  no  time  unnecessarily  since  I  had  the 
honor  of  receiving  your  obliging  favor  of  the  22d  ultimo,  to 
thank  you  for  the  polite  and  flattering  sentiments  you  have 
been  pleased  to  express  relatively  to  me,  and  to  assure  you, 
that,  as  far  as  it  is  in  my  power  to  support  your  administra- 
tion, and  to  render  it  easy,  happy,  and  honorable,  you  may 
command  me  without  reserve. 

"At  the  epoch  of  my  retirement,  an  Invasion  of  these 
States  by  an  European  Power,  or  even  the  probability  of 
such  an  event  happening  in  my  days,  was  so  far  from  being 
contemplated  by  me,  that  I  had  no  conception  that  that 
or  any  other  occurrence  would  arise  in  so  short  a  period, 
which  could  turn  my  eyes  from  the  shades  of  Mount  Vernon. 
But  this  seems  to  be  the  age  of  wonders;  and  reserved  for 
intoxicated  and  lawless  France  (for  purposes  of  Providence 
far  beyond  the  reach  of  human  ken)  to  slaughter  its  own 
citizens,  and  to  disturb  the  repose  of  all  the  world  besides. 

"  From  a  view  of  the  past,  from  the  prospect  present — and 
of  that  which  seems  to  be  expected,  it  is  not  easy  for  me  to 
decide  satisfactorily  on  the  part  it  might  best  become  me  to 


THE  SAGE  OF    MOUXT  VERNON  305 

act.  In  case  of  actual  Invasion  by  a  formidable  force,  I 
should  certainly  not  Intrench  myself  under  cover  of  age  and 
retirement,  if  my  services  should  be  required  by  my  Country 
to  assist  in  repelling  it.  .  .  -  •-. 

"  The  difficulty  in  which  you  expect  to  be  involved,  in 
the  choice  of  general  officers,  when  you  come  to  form  the 
army,  is  certainly  a  serious  one;  and,  in  a  government  like 
ours,  where  there  are  so  many  considerations  to  be  attended 
to  and  to  combine,  it  will  be  found  not  a  little  perplexing. 
But,  as  the  mode  of  carrying  on  the  War  against  the  Foe 
that  threatens  must  differ  widely  from  that  practised  in  the 
contest  for  Independence,  it  will  not  be  an  easy  matter,  I 
conceive,  to  find,  among  the  old  set  of  Generals,  men  of 
sufficient  activity,  energy,  and  health,  and  of  sound  politics, 
to  train  troops  to  the  "  quick  step, "  long  marches,  and  severe 
conflicts  they  may  have  to  encounter;  and,  therefore,  that 
recourse  must  be  had,  (for  the  greater  part  at  least)  to  the 
well-known,  most  experienced,  best  proved  and  intelligent 
officers  of  the  late  army  without  respect  to  Grade. 

"  I  speak  with  diffidence,  however,  on  this  head,  having 
no  list  by  me  with  which  my  memory  could  be  refreshed. 
There  is  one  thing  though,  on  which  I  can  give  a  decided 
opinion ;  and,  as  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  Public, 
to  the  Army,  and  to  the  officer  commanding  it,  be  him  who 
he  will,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  it  now.  It  is 
that  the  greatest  circumspection  be  used  in  appointing  the 
general  staff.  If  this  corps  is  not  composed  o*f  respectable 
characters,  with  knowledge  of  the  duties  of  their  respective 
Departments,  able,  active,  and  firm,  and  of  incorruptible 
integrity  and  prudence,  and  withal  such  as  the  Commander- 
in -Chief  can  place  entire  confidence  in,  his  plans  and  move- 
ments, if  not  defeated  altogether,  may  be  so  embarrassed 
and  retarded,  as  to  amount  nearly  to  the  same  thing;  and 
this  is  almost  with  impunity  on  their  part. 

"  The  opening  given  me  in  your  letter  is  such,  as  hath 
prompted  me  to  express  these  sentiments  with  freedom ;  and 


3o6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


persuading  myself,  that  you  will  ascribe  them  to  pure 
motives  although  they  may  differ  from  your  own  ideas,  I 
have  no  doubt  of  their  being  well  received.  With  the 
greatest  respect  and  consideration  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
dear  Sir,"  &c., 

[G.  WASHINGTON.] 

Writings  of  Washington  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.,  p.  428. 

Preparing  for  War  with  France 

Early  in  November  (1798)  Washington  left  his  retire- 
ment and  repaired  to  Philadelphia,  at  the  earnest  request 
of  the  secretary  of  war,  to  meet  that  public  functionary  and 
Major-generals  Hamilton  and  Pinckney,  and  make  arrange- 
ments respecting  the  forces  about  to  be  raised.  The  secre- 
tary had  prepared  a  series  of  questions  for  their  considera- 
tion, and  others  were  suggested  by  Washington,  all  bearing 
on  the  organization  of  the  provisional  army.  Upon  these 
Washington  and  the  two  major-generals  were  closely  engaged 
for  nearly  five  weeks,  at  great  inconvenience  and  in  a  most 
inclement  season.  The  result  of  their  deliberations  was 
reduced  to  form,  and  communicated  to  the  secretary  in  two 
letters  drafted  by  Hamilton,  and  signed  by  the  commander- 
in-chief.  Not  the  least  irksome  of  Washington's  task,  in 
his  present  position,  was  to  wade  through  volumes  of  applica- 
tions and  recommendations  for  military  appointments;  a 
task  which  he  performed  with  extreme  assiduity,  anxious 
to  avoid  the  influence  of  favor  or  prejudice,  and  sensitively 
alive  to  the  evil  of  improper  selections. 

As  it  was  a  part  of  the  plan  on  which  he  had  accepted 
the  command  of  the  army  to  decline  the  occupations  of  the 
office  until  circumstances  should  demand  his  presence  in 
the  field;  and  as  the  season  and  weather  rendered  him 
impatient  to  leave  Philadelphia,  he  gave  the  secretary  of 
war  his  views  and  plans  for  the  charge  and  direction  of 
military  affairs,  and  then  set  out  once  more  for  Mount  Ver- 
non.  The  cares  and  concerns  of  office,  however,  followed 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  307 

him  to  his  retreat.  "It  is  not  the  time  nor  the  attention 
only,"  writes  he,  "which  the  public  duties  I  am  engaged  in 
require,  but  their  bringing  me  applicants,  recommenders  of 
applicants,  and  seekers  of  information,  none  of  whom, 
perhaps,  are  my  acquaintances,  with  their  servants  and 
horses  to  aid  in  the  consumption  of  my  forage,  and  what  to  me 
is  more  valuable,  my  time,  that  I  most  regard ;  for  a  man  in 
the  country,  nine  miles  from  any  house  of  entertainment,  is 
differently  situated  from  one  in  a  city,  where  none  of  these 
inconveniences  are  felt." 

Life  of  George  Washington,  Washington  Irving,  Vol.  V,  p.  a8a. 

"  A  Very  Complete  Tumble  "  . 

Up  to  his  sixty-eighth  year  he  mounted  a  horse  with 
surprising  agility  and  rode  with  ease  and  grace.  Rickets, 
the  celebrated  equestrian,  used  to  say,  "  I  delight  to  see  the 
General  ride,  and  make  it  a  point  to  fall  in  with  him  when  I 
hear  he  is  out  on  horseback — his  seat  is  so  firm,  his  manage- 
ment so  easy  and  graceful  that  I  who  am  an  instructor  in 
horsemanship  would  go  to  him  and  learn  to  ride. " 

In  his  later  days,  the  General,  desirous  of  riding  pleas- 
antly, procured  from  the  North  two  horses  of  a  breed  for 
bearing  the  saddle.  They  were  well  to  look  at,  and  pleas- 
antly gaited  under  the  saddle,  but  also  scary,  and  therefore 
unfitted  for  the  service  of  one  who  liked  to  ride  quietly  on 
his  farm,  occasionally  dismounting  and  walking  in  his  fields  to 
inspect  improvements.  From  one  of  these  horses  the  Gen- 
eral sustained  a  fall — probably  the  only  fall  he  ever  had  from 
a  horse  in  his  life.  It  was  upon  a  November  evening,  and 
he  was  returning  from  Alexandria  to  Mount  Vernon  with 
three  friends  and  a  groom.  Having  halted  a  few  moments 
he  dismounted,  and  upon  rising  in  his  stirrup  again,  the 
horse,  alarmed  at  the  glare  from  a  fire  near  the  road- side, 
sprang  from  under  his  rider  who  came  heavily  to  the  ground. 
His  friends  rushed  to  give  him  assistance,  thinking  him  hurt. 
But  the  vigorous  old  man  was  upon  his  feet  again,  brushing 


3o8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  dust  from  his  clothes,  and  after  thanking  those  who  came 
to  his  aid,  said  that  he  had  had  a  very  complete  tumble  and 
that  it  was  owing  to  a  cause  no  horseman  could  well  avoid 
or  well  control — that  he  was  only  poised  in  his  stirrups  and 
had  not  yet  gained  his  saddle  when  the  scary  animal  sprang 
from  under  him. 

Herots  Every  Child  Should  Know,  Edited  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  p.  a8a. 

"  The  Recollection  of  Those  Happy  Moments  " 

But  the  friend  most  missed  of  all  was  the  one  who  in 
boyhood  had  slept  under  the  same  blanket  side  by  side  with 
him  by  light  of  stars  or  before  wigwam  fire  in  the  Shenandoah 
wilderness — George  William  Fairfax,  whose  father  had  been 
as  a  father  to  him,  who  had  married  Sally  Gary,  the  lady  of 
Washington's  first  love,  the  true  "lowland  beauty"  of  his 
boyish  sighs.  Fairfax,  a  loyalist  in  sympathy,  had  gone 
with  his  wife,  before  the  actual  clash  of  arms,  to  England, 
where,  taking  possession  of  an  estate  in  Yorkshire  coming 
to  him  by  inheritance,  he  had  resided  until  his  death,  in 
1787.  Washington's  deep  regret  at  the  severance  of  their 
families  tinges  many  of  his  letters  at  the  time.  Belvoir 
House — the  old  mansion,  built  by  the  sturdy  colonel,  who, 
except  his  uncle's  son,  the  lord  of  Greenway  Court,  was  the 
only  Fairfax  to  settle  in  America  in  whose  veins  ran  the 
blood  of  the  hero  of  Marston  Moor,  and  at  whose  lips 
Washington  had  learned  his  first  lesson  of  how  a  soldier  may 
serve  his  country — had  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  1783,  after 
the  departure  of  its  owners  to  live  in  England.  Its  melan- 
choly ruin  faced  the  master  of  Mount  Vernon  whenever  he 
looked  from  his  river  portico  southward  across  Dogue 
creek,  which  like  a  glistening  ribbon  ran  between.  In  a 
letter  written  in  the  last  year  of  his  life  to  his  old  love,  Sarah 
Fairfax,  then  at  Bath  in  England,  Washington  dwells  upon 
the  principal  circumstances  of  the  twenty-five  years  of  his 
career,  since  their  parting,  and  ends  with  these  words: 


THE  SAGE  OF  MOUNT  VERNON  309 

"  None  of  these  events  nor  all  of  them  put  together,  have 
been  able  to  eradicate  from  my  mind  the  recollection  of  those 
happy  moments,  the  happiest  of  my  life,  which  I  have  en- 
joyed in  your  company  at  Belvoir. " 

Washington  at  Mount   Vernon,   after  the  Revolution,  Constance  Gary  Harrison,   Tk* 
Century  Magazine,  New  Series,  Vol.  XV,  Apnl,  1889,  p.  836. 


Events  of  the  Last  Ten  Years  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 

Establishment  of  the  United  States  Bank I791 

Establishment  of  the  United  States  Mint 1792 

First  division  into  political  parties I792 

Washington  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  White  House, 

October  13,  1792 

Cotton-gin  invented  by  Eli  Whitney 1793 

Washington's  second  inauguration March  4,  1793 

The  Whiskey  Rebellion  in  Pennsylvania 1794 

The  Jay  Treaty  with  Great  Britain 1795 

John  Adams  inaugurated  President,  Philadelphia.  .    1797 

War  with  France  begun 1798 

Peace  with  France ' 1799 

Death  of  Washington December  14,  1799 

City  of  Washington  becomes  the  national  capital .  ,    1800 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

"  FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS  OF  His  COUNTRYMEN  " 
Washington's  Secretary's  Account  of  the  General's   Last  Illness 

(A  true  copy,  made  at  Mrs.  Lear's  request,  from  the  diary  of 

Col.  Lear.) 

Saturday,  Deer.  i4th,  1799. 

This  day  being  marked  by  an  event  which  will  be 
memorable  in  the  History  of  America,  and  perhaps  of  the 
World,  I  shall  give  a  particular  statement  of  it,  to  which 
I  was  an  eye  witness — 

The  last  illness  and  death  of 
General  Washington 

On  Thursday  Deer.  i2th.  the  General  rode  out  to  his 
farms  about  ten  o'clock,  and  did  not  return  home  till  past 
three.  Soon  after  he  went  out  the  weather  became  very 
bad,  rain,  hail,  and  snow  falling  alternately  with  a  cold  wind. 
When  he  came  in,  I  carried  some  letters  to  him  to  frank, 
intending  to  send  them  to  the  Post-Office  in  the  evening. 
He  franked  the  letters;  but  said  the  Weather  was  too  bad 
to  send  a  servant  to  the  office  that  evening.  I  observed 
to  him  that  I  was  afraid  he  had  got  wet ;  he  said  no,  his  great 
Coat  had  kept  him  dry;  but  his  neck  appeared  to  be  wet, 
and  the  snow  was  hanging  upon  his  hair.  He  came  to  dinner 
(which  had  been  Waiting  for  him)  without  changing  his 
dress.  In  the  evening  he  appeared  as  well  as  usual. 

A  heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place  on  Friday  (which 
prevented  the  General  from  riding  out  as  usual).  He  had 
taken  cold  (undoubtedly  from  being  so  much  exposed  the 
day  before)  and  complained  of  a  sore  throat:  he  however 

(310) 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  3rr 

went  out  in  the  afternoon  into  the  ground  between  the 
House  and  the  River  to  mark  some  trees  which  were  to  be 
cut  down  in  the  improvements  of  that  spot.  He  had  a 
Hoarseness  which  increased  in  the  evening ;  but  he  made 
light  of  it.  In  the  evening  the  Papers  were  brought  from 
the  Post  Office,  and  he  sat  in  the  Parlour,  with  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton &  myself  reading  them  till  about  nine  o'clock  — when 
Mrs.  W.  went  up  into  Mrs.  Lewis's  room,  who  was  confined 
in  Child  Bed,  and  left  the  General  &  myself  reading  the 
papers.  He  was  very  cheerful  and  when  he  met  with  any- 
thing interesting  or  entertaining,  he  wd.  read  it  aloud  as 
well  as  his  hoarseness  would  permit  him.  He  requested 
me  to  read  to  him  the  debates  of  the  Virginia  Assembly  on 
the  election  of  a  Senator  and  a  Governor; — and  on  hearing 
Mr.  Madison's  observations  respecting  Mr.  Monroe,  he 
appeared  much  affected  and  spoke  with  some  degree  of 
asperity  on  the  subject,  which  I  endeavoured  to  moderate,  as 
I  always  did  on  such  occasions.  On  his  retiring  I  observed 
to  him  that  he  had  better  take  something  to  remove  his  cold. 
He  answered  no;  "you  know  I  never  take  anything  for  a 
cold.  Let  it  go  as  it  came". 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  129. 

Bled  by  an  Overseer 

Between  two  &  three  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning, 
he  awoke  Mrs.  Washington,  and  told  her  he  was  very  unwell, 
and  had  had  an  ague.  She  observed  that  he  could  scarcely 
speak  and -breathed  with  difficulty;  and  would  have  got  up 
to  call  a  Servant;  but  he  would  not  permit  her  lest  she 
should  take  cold.  As  soon  as  the  day  appeared,  the  Woman 
(Caroline)  went  into  the  Room  to  make  a  fire,  and  Mrs. 
Washington  sent  her  immediately  to  call  me.  I  got  up,  put 
on  my  clothes  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  went  to  his  Cham- 
ber. Mrs.  Washington  was  then  up,  and  related  to  me  his 
being  taken  ill  as  before  stated.  I  found  the  General  breath- 
ing with  difficulty,  and  hardly  able  to  utter  a  word  intelli- 


3i2  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

gibly.  He  desired  that  Mr.  Rawlins  (one  of  the  overseers) 
might  be  sent  for  to  bleed  him  before  the  Dr.  could  arrive. 
I  dispatched  a  servant  instantly  for  Rawlins,  and  another 
for  Dr.  Craik,  and  returned  again  to  the  General's  Chamber, 
where  I  found  him  in  the  situation  as  I  had  left  him.  A 
mixture  of  Molasses,  Vinegar  &  butter  was  prepared  to  try 
its  effects  in  the  throat;  but  he  could  not  swallow  a  drop. 
Whenever  he  attempted  it  he  appeared  to  be  distressed, 
convulsed  and  almost  suffocated.  Rawlins  came  in  soon 
after  sun  rise,  and  prepared  to  bleed  him.  When  the  arm 
was  ready  the  General  observing  that  Rawlins  appeared 
to  be  agitated,  said,  as  well  as  he  could  speak  "Don't  be 
afraid."  And  after  the  incision  was  made,  he  observed, 
"The  orifice  is  not  large  enough."  However  the  blood  ran 
pretty  freely.  Mrs.  Washington  not  knowing  whether 
bleeding  was  proper  or  not  in  the  General's  situation,  begged 
that  much  might  not  be  taken  from  him,  lest  it  should  be 
injurious,  and  desired  me  to  stop  it;  but  when  I  was  about 
to  untie  the  string  the  General  put  up  his  hand  to  prevent  it, 
and  as  soon  as  he  could  speak,  said — "More,  more."  Mrs. 
Washington  still  being  very  uneasy  lest  too  much  blood 
should  be  taken,  it  was  stopped  after  taking  about  half  a 
pint.  Finding  that  no  relief  was  obtained  from  bleeding,  and 
that  nothing  would  go  down  the  throat,  I  proposed  bathing 
it  externally  with  salvolatila,  which  was  done;  and  in  the 
operation,  which  was  with  the  hand,  and  in  the  gentlest 
manner,  he  observed  " tis  very  sore."  A  piece  of  flannel 
dipped  in  salvolatila  was  put  around  his  neck,  and  his  feet 
bathed  in  warm  water;  but  without  affording  any  relief. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  130. 

Bled  and  Dosed  by  Three  Doctors 

In  the  meantime,  before  Dr.  Craik  arrived  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington desired  me  to  send  for  Dr.  Brown  of  Post  Tobacco, 
whom  Dr.  Craik  had  recommended  to  be  called,  if  any  case 
should  occur  that  was  seriously  alarming.  I  dispatched  a 


'FIRST  /.V  THE  HEARTS"  313 

messenger  (Cyrus)  immediately  for  Dr.  Brown  (between 
8  &  9  o'clock).  Dr.  Craik  came  in  soon  after,  and  upon 
examining  the  General,  he  put  a  blister  of  Cantharides  on 
the  throat,  took  some  more  blood  from  him,  and  had  a  gargle 
of  Vinegar  &  sage  tea,  and  ordered  some  Vinegar  and  hot 
water  for  him  to  inhale  the  steam  which  he  did; — but  in 
attempting  to  use  the  garble  he  was  almost  suffocated. 
When  the  gargle  came  from  his  throat  some  phlegm  followed 
it,  and  he  attempted  to  Cough,  which  the  Doctor  encouraged 
him  to  do  as  much  as  possible ;  but  he  could  only  attempt  it. 
About  eleven  o'clock  Dr.  Craik  requested  that  Dr.  Dick 
might  be  sent  for,  as  he  feared  Dr.  Brown  might  not  come  in 
time.  A  messenger  was  accordingly  dispatched  for  him. 
About  this  time  the  General  was  bled  again.  No  effect 
however  was  produced  by  it,  and  remained  in  the  same  state, 
unable  to  swallow  anything.  ,  A  blister  was  administered 
about  12  o'clock,  which  produced  an  evacuation;  but  caused 
no  alteration  in  his  complaint. 

Dr.  Dick  came  in  about  3  o'clock,  and  Dr.  Brown 
arrived  soon  after.  Upon  Dr.  Dick's  seeing  the  General  and 
consulting  a  few  minutes  with  Dr.  Craik  he  was  bled  again ; 
the  blood  came  very  slow,  was  thick,  and  did  not  produce 
any  symptoms  of  fainting.  Dr.  Brown  came  into  the  cham- 
ber soon  after;  and  upon  feeling  the  General's  pulse  &c. 
the  Physicians  went  out  together.  Dr.  Craik  returned  soon 
after.  The  General  could  now  swallow  a  little.  Calomel  & 
tarter  em.  were  administered,  but  without  any  effect. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  131 

His  Last  Will  and  Other  Papers 

About  half  past  4  o'clock  he  desired  me  to  call  Mrs. 
Washington  to  his  bed  side,  when  he  requested  her  to  go 
down  into  his  room,  and  take  from  .his  desk  two  Wills 
which  she  would  find  there,  and  bring  them  to  him,  which 
she  did.  Upon  looking  at  them  he  gave  her  one,  which  he 
observed  was  useless,  as  being  superseded  by  the  other,  and 


3i4  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

desired  her  to  burn  it,  which  she  did,  and  took  the  other 
and  put  it  into  her  Closet. 

After  this  was  done,  I  returned  to  his  bed  side,  and  took 
his  hand.  He  said  to  me,  "  /  find  I  am  going,  my  breath  can 
not  last  long.  I  believed  from  the  first  that  the  disorder  would 
prove  fatal.  Do  you  arrange  and  record  all  my  late  military 
letters  and  papers.  Arrange  my  accounts  and  settle  my  books, 
as  you  know  more  about  them  than  anyone  else,  and  let  Mr. 
Rawlins  finish  recording  my  other  letters  which  he  has  begun" . 
I  told  him  this  should  be  done.  He  then  asked  if  I  recol- 
lected anything  which  it  was  essential  for  him  to  do,  as  he 
had  but  a  very  short  time  to  continue  among  us.  I  told  him 
I  could  recollect  nothing;  but  that  I  hoped  he  was  not  so 
near  his  end;  he  observed  smiling,  that  he  certainly  was, 
and  that  as  it  was  the  debt  that  all  must  pay,  he  looked  to 
the  event  with  perfect  resignation. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  he  appeared  to  be  in  great 
pain  and  distress,  from  the  difficulty  of  breathing,  and  fre- 
quently changed  his  position  on  the  bed.  On  these  occa- 
sions I  lay  upon  the  bed,  and  endeavoured  to  raise  him,  and 
turn  him  with  as  much  care  as  possible.  He  appeared  pene- 
trated with  gratitude  for  my  attentions,  &  of  ten  said,  ill  am 
afraid  I  shall  fatigue  you  too  much,"  and  upon  assuring  him 
that  I  could  feel  nothing  but  a  wish  to  give  him  ease,  he 
replied,  "Well  it  is  a  debt  we  must  pay  to  each  other,  and  I 
hope  when  you  want  aid  of  this  kind  you  will  find  it. " 

He  asked  when  Mr.  Lewis  &  Washington  Custis  would 
return,  (they  were  in  New  Kent)  I  told  him  about  the  2oth 
of  the  month. 

About  5  o'clock  Dr.  Craik  came  again  into  the  room 
&  upon  going  to  the  bed  side  the  Genl.  said  to  him,  "Doctor 
I  die  hard;  but  I  am  not  afraid  to  go;  I  believed  from  my  first 
attack  that  I  should  not  survive  it;  my  breath  can  not  last  long. ' ' 

The  Doctor  pressed  his  hand,  but  could  not  utter  a 
word.  He  retired  from  the  bed  side,  &  sat  by  the  fire 
absorbed  in  grief. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington.  Tobias  Lea     p.  132 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  315 


Further  Details  Not  in  Lear's  Diary 

The  General's  servant  Christopher  was  in  the  room 
through  the  day ;  and  in  the  afternoon  the  General  directed 
him  to  sit  down,  as  he  had  been  standing  almost  the  whole 
day;  he  did  so. 

About  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
get  up.  His  clothes  were  put  on  and  he  was  led  to  a  chair 
by  the  fire.  He  found  no  relief  from  this  position,  and  lay 
down  again  about  10  o'clk.  About  5  P.  M.  he  was  helped 
up  again  &  after  sitting  about  half  an  hour  desired  to  be 
undressed  &  put  in  bed;  which  was  done. 

During  his  whole  illness  he  spoke  but  seldom,  and  with 
great  difficulty;  and  in  so  low  &  broken  a  voice  as  at  times 
hardly  to  be  understood.  His  patience,  fortitude,  &  resigna- 
tion never  forsook  him  for  a  moment.  In  all  his  distress  he 
uttered  not  a  sigh,  nor  a  complaint;  always  endeavouring 
(from  a  sense  of  duty  as  it  appeared)  to  take  what  was 
offered  him,  and  to  do  as  he  was  desired  by  the  Physicians. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington   Tobias  Lear,  p.  135. 

'  His  Last  Words 

Between  5  &  6  o'clock  Dr.  Dick  &  Dr.  Brown  came  into 
the  room,  and  with  Dr.  Craik  went  to  the  bed;  when  Dr. 
Craik  asked  him  if  he  could  sit  up  in  the  bed?  He  held  out 
his  hand  &  I  raised  him  up.  He  then  said  to  the  Physicians, 

"  /  feel  myself  going,  I  thank  your  for  your  attentions; 
but  I  pray  you  to  take  no  more  trouble  about  me,  let  me  go  off 
quietly,  I  cannot  last  long.' ' 

They  found  that  all  which  had  been  done  was  without 
effect ;  he  laid  down  again  and  all  retired  except  Dr.  Craik. 
He  continued  in  the  same  situation,  uneasy  &  restless,  but 
without  complaining;  frequently  asking  what  hour  it  was. 
When  I  helped  him  to  move  at  this  time  he  did  not  speak, 
but  looked  at  me  with  strong  expressions  of  gratitude. 

About  8  o'clock  the  Physicians  came  again  into  the  room 


3i6  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

and  applied  blisters  and  cataplasms  of  wheat  and  bran  to  his 
legs  and  feet ;  after  which  they  went  out  (except  Dr.  Craik) 
without  a  ray  of  hope.  I  went  out  about  this  time  and 
wrote  a  line  to  Mr.  Law  &  Mr.  Peter,  requesting  them  to 
come  with  their  wives  (Mrs.  Washington's  Granddaughters) 
as  soon  as  possible  to  Mount  Vernon. 

About  ten  o'clk  he  made  several  attempts  to  speak  to 
me  before  he  could  effect  it,  at  length  he  said— 

' ' /  am  just  going.  Have  me  decently  buried;  and  do  not  let  my 
body  be  put  into  the  Vault  in  less  than  three  days  after  I  am  dead. ' ' 

I  bowed  assent,  for  I  could  not  speak.  He  then  looked 
at  me  again  and  said, 

"Do  you  understand  me?" 
.    I  replied  "Yes." 

"'Tis  well,"  said  he. 

About  ten  minutes  before  he  expired  (which  was  be- 
tween ten  &  eleven  o'clk.)  his  breathing  became  easier;  he 
lay  quietly; — he  withdrew  his  hand  from  mine,  and  felt  his 
own  pulse.  I  saw  his  countenance  change.  I  spoke  to  Dr. 
Craik  who  sat  by  the  fire ;  he  came  to  the  bed  side.  The 
General's  hand  fell  from  his  wrist — I  took  it  in  mine  and 
put  it  into  my  bosom.  Dr.  Craik  put  his  hands  over  his 
eyes  and  he  expired  without  a  struggle  or  a  sigh. 

While  we  were  fixed  in  silent  grief,  Mrs.  Washington 
(who  was  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  bed)  asked  with  a  firm  & 
collected   voice, 

"Is  he  gone?" 

I  could  not  speak,  but  held  up  my  hand  as  a  signal  that 
he  was  no  more. 

"  'Tis  well',  said  she  in  the  same  voice,  "A//  is  now  over.  I 
shall  soon  follow  him!  I  have  no  more  trials  to  pass  through!" 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  133. 

The  Last  Sad  Arrangements 

At  the  time  of  his  decease  Dr.  Craik  and  myself  were 
in  he  situation  before  mentioned  Mrs.  Washington  was 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS''  317 

sitting  near  the  foot  of  the  bed.  Christopher  was  standing 
by  the  bedside,  Caroline,  Molly  &  Charlotte  were  in  the  room 
standing  near  the  door.  Mrs.  Forbes  the  House  keeper,  was 
frequently  in  the  room  during  the  day  and  evening. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Craik  could  speak  after  the  distressing 
scene  was  closed,  he  desired  one  of  the  servants  to  ask  the 
Gentln.  below  to  come  upstairs.  When  they  came  to  the 
bedside;  I  kissed  the  cold  hand  which  I  had  held  to  my 
bosom ;  laid  it  down,  &  went  to  the  other  end  of  the  room ; 
where  I  was  for  some  time  lost  in  profound  grief;  until 
aroused  by  Christopher  desiring  me  to  take  care  of  the  Gen- 
eral's keys  and  other  things  which  were  taken  out  of  his 
pockets;  and  which  Mrs.  Washington  directed  him  to  give 
to  me;  I  wrapped  them  in  the  General's  handkerchief,  & 
took  them  with  me  to  my  room. 

About  12  o'clk  the  Corpse  was  brought  down  stairs,  and 
laid  out  in  the  large  room. 

Sunday  Deer.  i5th. 

"The  above  statement  so  far  as  I  can  recollect  is  correct. 

"JAS.  CRAIK." 

Sunday  Deer.  i5th.  1799. 

Fair  Weather. 

Mrs.  Washington  sent  for  me  in  the  Morning  and  desired 
I  would  send  up  to  Alxa.  and  have  a  Coffin  made:  which  I 

did.  Doctor  Dick  measured  the  body, 

After  breakfast  I  gave  Dr.  Dick  &  Dr.  Brown  forty  dollars 
each,  which  sum  Dr.  Craik  advised  as  very  proper;  and  they 
left  us  after  breakfast. 

I  wrote  letters  to  the  following  persons  informing  them 
of  the  late  melancholy  event: 

The  President  of  the  United  States 

General  Hamilton 

Genl.  Pinckney 

Bushrod  Washington 

Col.  W.  A.  Washington 


3i8  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Lawrence  Lewis 

G.  W.  P.  Custis 

Geo.  S.  Washington 

Saml.  Washington 

Colo.  Ball 

Capt.  Hammond — also  to 

John  Lewis,  desiring  him  to  inform  his  Brothers,  George, 
Robert  &  Howells. 

Mrs.  Stuart  was  sent  for  in  the  Morning.  About  10 
o'clk.  Mr.  Thos.  Peter  came  down;  and  about  two,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Law  to  whom  I  had  written  on  Saturday  Eveng.  Dr. 
Thornton  came  down  with  Mr.  Law.  Dr.  Craik  tarried  all 
day  &  all  night. 

In  the  evening  I  consulted  with  Mr.  Law,  Mr.  Peter  & 
Dr.  Craik  on  fixing  a  day  for  depositing  the  Body  in  the 
Vault.  I  wished  the  ceremony  to  be  postponed  until  the 
last  of  the  week,  to  give  time  to  some  of  the  General's  rela- 
tives to  be  here:  But  Dr.  Craik  &  Dr.  Thornton  gave  it 
decidedly  as  their  opinion  that  considering  the  disorder 
of  "which  the  General  died,  being  of  an  inflammatory  nature, 
it  would  not  be  proper  nor  perhaps  safe,  to  keep  the  body 
so  long ;  and  therefore  Wednesday  was  fixed  upon  for  the 
funeral,  to  allow  a  day  (Thursday)  in  case  the  weather 
should  be  unfavorable  on  Wednesday. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  136. 

Preparations  for  the  Funeral 

Monday,  Deer.  i6th.  1799. 

I  directed  the  people  to  open  the  family  Vault,  clean 
away  the  rubbish  from  about  it,  and  make  everything  decent. 
Ordered  a  door  to  be  made  to  the  Vault,  instead  of  closing 
it  again  with  brick,  as  had  been  the  custom.  Engaged  Mr. 
Inglis  and  Mr.  McMunn  to  have  a  Mahogany  Coffin  made, 
lined  with  lead,  in  which  the  body  was  to  be  deposited. 

Dr.   Craik,   Mr.   Peter,   &  Dr.   Thornton  left  us  after 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  319 

breakfast.  Mrs.  Stuart  &  her  daughters  came  in  the  after- 
noon. Mr.  Anderson  went  to  Alxa.  to  get  a  number  of  things 
preparatory  for  the  funeral.  Mourng.  was  ordered  for  the 
Family  Domestics  and  Overseers. 

Having  received  information  from  Alexa.  that  the 
Militia,  Freemasons  &c.  were  determined  to  show  their 
respect  to  the  General's  Memory  by  attending  his  body  to 
the  Grave,  I  directed  provision  to  be  prepared  for  a  large 
number  of  people,  as  some  refreshment  would  be  expected 
by  them.  Mr.  Robert  Hamilton  wrote  me  a  letter  informing 
that  a  Schooner  of  his  wd.  be  off  Mount  Vernon  to  fire 
Minute  guns  when  the  body  was  carrying  to  the  grave. 

Tuesday — Deer.  iyth.  1799. 

Every  preparation  for  the  mournful  ceremony  was 
making.  Mr.  Diggs  came  here  in  the  forenoon.  Also  Mr. 
Stewart,  Adjutant  to  the  Alexa.  Regimt.  to  view  the  ground 
for  the  procession. 

About  one  o'clock  the  Coffin  was  brought  from  Alexa. 
in  a  stage.  Mr.  Inglis  &  Mr.  McMunn  accompanied  it.  Also 
Mr.  Grater  with  a  shroud.  The  Body  was  laid  in  the  Coffin 
— at  which  time  I  cut  off  some  of  the  hair. 

The  Mahogany  Coffin  was  lined  with  lead,  soddered  at 
the  joints — and  a  cover  of  lead  to  be  soddered  on  after  the 
body  should  be  in  the  Vault.  The  whole  was  put  into  a 
case  lined  &  covered  with  black  Cloth. 

Wednesday — Deer.  i8th.  1799. 

About  eleven  o'clk  numbers  of  people  began  to  assemble 
to  attend  the  funeral,  which  was  intended  to  have  been  at 
twelve,  but  as  a  great  part  of  the  Troop  expected  did  not  get 
down  in  time,  it  did  not  take  place  till  three. 

Eleven  pieces  of  Artillery  were  brot.  from  Alexa.  and  a 
Schooner  belonging  to  Mr.  R.  Hamilton  came  down  &  lay 
off  Mt.  Vernon  to  fire  Minute  guns. 

About  3  o'clock  the  procession  began  to  move.     The 


320  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

arrangements  of  the  procession  were  made  by  Colonels 
Little,  Simms  &  Deneale,  and  Dr.  Dick. 

When  the  Body  arrived  at  the  Vault  the  Revd.  Mr. 
Davis  read  the  service  &  pronounced  a  short  extempore 
speech. 

The  Masons  performed  their  ceremonies,  &  the  Body 
was  deposited  in  the  Vault. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  138. 

The  Faithful  Secretary  after  the  Funeral 

After  the  Ceremony  the  Company  returned  to  the 
house  where  they  took  some  refreshment,  &  retired  in  good 
order.  The  remains  of  the  provisions  were  distributed 
among  the  blacks. 

Mr.  Peter,  Dr.  Craik  &  Dr.  Thornton  tarried  here  all  night. 

When  the  Ceremony  was  over  I  retired  to  my  room 
(leaving  to  Mr.  Law  &  Mr.  Diggs  the  care  of  the  Company) 
to  give  a  loose  to  those  feelings  which  I  had  been  able  to 
keep  under  control,  while  I  found  it  necessary  for  me  to 
give  personal  attention  to  the  preparations  for  interring 
the  body  of  my  deceased  friend. 

What  those  feelings  were  is  not  to  be  told,  if  it  were 
even  possible  to  describe! 

Monday  Deer.  23d.  1799. 
Employed  as  yesterday. 

Tuesday  Deer.  24th.  1799. 

Spent  the  day  in  looking  over  &  arranging  papers  in 
the  General's  Study. 

Wednesday  Deer.  2$th.  1799. 

I  this  day  sent  to  Alexa.  for  the  Plumber  to  come  down 
&  close  the  leaden  Coffin  containing  the  General's  Body,  as 
Judge  Washington  had  arrived,  and  did  not  incline  to  see 
the  remains.  The  Plumbers  came.  I  went  with  them  to 
the  Tomb— I  took  a  last  look — a  last  farewell  of  that  face, 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  321 

which  still  appeared  unaltered.  I  attended  the  Closing  of 
the  Coffin— and  beheld  for  the  last  time  that  face  wh.  shall 
be  seen  no  more  here;  but  wh.  I  hope  to  meet  in  Heaven. 

Letters  and  Recollections  of  George  Washington,  Tobias  Lear,  p.  141. 

Washington's  Most  Vicious  Enemy 

The  most  vicious  of  Washington's  enemies,  however, 
was  Thomas  Paine,  a  man  of  noblest  possible  sentiments, 
but  whose  practices  were  so  unlike  his  theories  that  had  he 
been  a  church  member  he  would  have  come  down  to  pos- 
terity branded  as  the  most  villainous  hypocrite  that  ever 
breathed.  In  his  later  days,  which  should  have  been  his 
nobler  ones,  Paine  delighted  to  gather  his  neighbors  in  a 
grove  and  preach  to  them  the  purest,  sweetest  religion  of 
humanity,  his  manner  and  matter  suggesting  that  of  the 
preacher  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  on  Monday  he 
would  borrow  money  on  which  to  get  drunk.  That  he  was 
as  much  in  earnest  in  his  virtues  as  in  his  vices  can  never  be 
doubted ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  never  neglected  a  chance  to 
give  his  vices  exercise.  He  did  so  much  for  his  country  in  her 
early  hours  of  need,  and  he  told  so  many  noble  truths,  that  it 
is  not  strange  that  the  man  who  now  keeps  his  monument  in 
order  (and  without  charge)  is  a  staunch  Presbyterian  four 
score  years  of  age;  on  the  other  hand,  the  results  of  his 
improvidence,  dissipation,  and  uncurbed  temper  have 
compelled  his  fellow-countrymen  to  believe  him  the  worst 
of  the  vilifiers  of  the  first  President. 

"  A  man  is  known  by  the  company  he  keeps. "  If  men 
will  judge  Washington  by  his  friends  and  admirers,  they 
will  believe  better  of  him  than  any  human  pen  can  ask 
them  to.  No  man  has  written'  higher  praise  of  him  'than 
Jefferson,  the  nominal  leader  of  his  political  enemies.  All 
the  other  honored  names  of  the  revolutionary  and  formative 
period — the  Adamses,  the  Trumbulls,  the  Clintons,  the 
Lees,  the  Pinckneys;  Benjamin  Franklin,  John  Jay,  Aler- 
ander  Hamilton;  the  better  of  his  generals,  with  nobl- 


322  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Greene  and  Schuyler  at  their  head — all  these  are  to  be 
found  prominent  in  the  list  of  Washington's  friends,  and 
among  his  foreign  contemporary  admirers  even  such  unlike 
and  unsympathetic  characters  as  Talleyrand  and  Napoleon 
were  obliged  to  appear,  while  at  the  court  of  the  nation 
from  which  he  has  wrested  the  best  part  of  a  continent,  his 
personal  character  was  of  more  service  to  his  country  than 
were  the  assurances  of  his  country's  envoys.  Is  this  the 
sort  of  man  to  be  hidden  away  in  Fourth-of-July  smoke 
and  the  mists  of  tradition? 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  330. 

Some  of  His  Worst  Admirers 

Of  Washington's  admirers  who  were  also  enemies,  the 
worst,  after  Jefferson,  was  Jared  Sparks,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  once 
president  of  Harvard  College.  To  this  gentleman  was 
intrusted  the  duty  of  editing  Washington's  writings;  his 
method  was  to  correct  the  grammar  and  spelling— the  dear, 
old,  delightfully  inaccurate  spelling — to  expunge  the  alleged 
profanity  (which  never  was  profane) — to  reduce  the  thou- 
sands of  vigorous  idioms  to  the  linguistic  level  of  a  bacca- 
laureate sermon,  and  then— oh,  stupid,  inexcusable  Sparks! 
— to  burn  the  originals!  Were  it  not  for  the  occasional 
discovery,  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Sparks,  of  letters  that  had 
escaped  the  envious  tooth  of  time  and  the  remorseless  pen 
of  the  reviser,  the  entire  world  might  still  believe  that 
Washington  never  wrote  without  a  Latin  dictionary  and  a 
"gentleman's  complete  letter- writer "  at  his  elbow.  If  old 
scores  can  be  settled  by  personal  combat  in  the  next  world, 
Jared  Sparks  must  have  been  a  pitiable  object  to  look  at 
within  five  minutes  after  he  entered  the  pearly  gates,  for 
Washington's  detestation  of  "fine  writing"  was  a  promi- 
nent trait  in  his  character. 

Portrait  painters  did  almost  as  much  as  Sparks  to 
remove  the  real  Washington  from  the  knowledge  of  later 
generations.  It  is  said  that  they  were  assisted  by  a  dentist, 


"FIRST  LV  THE  HEARTS"  323 

who  made  Washington  a  set  of  teeth  that  changed  the 
shape  of  his  face  for  the  worse.  This  may  be  true,  but  the 
said  teeth  do  not  seem  to  have  greatly  troubled  Gilbert 
Stuart,  whose  painting — not  the  countless  engravings  and 
chromos  that  have  caricatured  it — discloses  fine  features, 
a  magnificent  complexion,  an  expression  of  alertness  yet 
one  of  composure,  from  all  of  which  it  is  hard  for  a  beholder 
to  tear  himself  away.  An  inveterate  "ladies'  man"  once 
said  to  the  writer  of  these  pages  that  he  would  travel 
further  to  look  at  Stuart's  Washington  than  to  see  the 
handsomest  woman  in  America.  The  best  proofs  of  the 
accuracy  of  Stuart's  picture  are,  that  the  artist  himself  said 
he  wasted  much  time  in  waiting  at  formal  sittings  for  Wash- 
ington to  look  like  himself,  and  that  Stuart  was  obliged  to 
make  no  less  than  twenty-six  copies  of  it.  Other  portraits 
were  painted  from  life,  some  very  bad  and  others,  notably 
Peale's,  not  so  bad;  the  latter  are  not  to  be  despised,  for 
they  catch  expressions  peculiar  to  certain  strains  of  thought 
and  experience.  Most  of  those  painted  after  the  Revolu- 
tionary period,  however,  were  taken  in  such  quick  suc- 
cession—when painters  were  so  numerous  at  Mount  Vernon 
that  they  awaited  their  "turn"  like  so  many  unshaven  men 
at  a  barber's  shop — that  the  pictures  have  a  weary,  resigned, 
lamb-led-to-the-slaughter  look  which  is  entirely  unfair  to 
the  subject. 

If  sculptors  were  not  unfair  to  Washington  as  were  the 
painters,  it  was  only  because  there  were  fewer  of  them  to 
spoil  raw  material.  As  it  is  still  the  fashion  to  transpose  a 
man's  face  into  marble  or  metal,  it  may  be  conceded  that 
the  sculptors  of  a  century  ago  knew. -no  better,  but  the  best 
head  of  Washington  extant  looks  as  if  its  subject  had  been 
operated  upon,  in  early  youth,  by  some  expert  from  the 
Flathead  Indian  tribe.  Fortunately,  however,  most  of  the 
statues  stand  so  high  above  the  beholder,  and  have  gathered 
so  much  dust,  that  it  is  difficult  to  realize  how  bad  they  are. 

George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  332. 


324  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Washington's  Nurses 

A  proper  regard  for  the  shapeliness  of  a  book  would 
suggest  that  comments  upon  the  persons  who  nursed  a  man 
in  his  infancy  should  appear  in  the  earlier  chapters,  instead 
of  the  later  ones,  and  that  the  headquarters  of  a  soldier 
should  receive  due  mention  at  such  times  as  campaigns  are 
the  subjects  of  narratives.  There  is  reason  in  such  a  sug- 
gestion, as  a  rule,  but  not  in  the  case  of  Washington;  for 
neither  his  nurses  nor  his  headquarters  were  ever  heard  of 
until  long  after  his  death. 

Still,  "better  late  than  never."  It  is  now  known,  on 
the  authority  of  a  great  many  persons  whose  stories  were 
implicitly  believed  by  those  to  whom  they  were  first  told, 
that  in  childhood's  happy  hour  the  Father  of  his  Country 
was  cared  for  by  at  least  two  thousand  nurses,  all  colored. 
For  how  many  years  he  enjoyed  the  ministrations  of  these 
faithful  persons  is  not  known,  but  as  the  cherry-tree  incident 
occurred  in  his  sixth  year,  it  is  unreasonable  to  imagine 
him  cared  for  by  nurses  after  that  date.  Two  thousand 
nurses  in  six  years  gives  an  average  of  about  one  a  day,  so 
the  amount  of  information  and  reminiscence  that  each 
dusky  "mammy"  brought  from  the  Washington  mansion  is 
a  lasting  rebuke  to  those  obstinate  persons  who  persist  that 
the  colored  race  is  deficient  in  power  and  memory.  The 
apparent  plethora  of  nurses  in  the  Washington  family  has 
been  accounted  for,  by  some  thinkers,  on  the  theory  that 
Washington's  mother,  being  very  particular,  took  each 
nurse  on  trial  for  a  few  hours,  and  had  to  discharge  most  of 
them  as  unsatisfactory;  but  this  train  of  reasoning  will  not 
do,  for  in  Virginia,  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  nurses  were 
bought,  not  hired.  How  it  was  that  although  Washington, 
nor  his  father,  nor  his  mother,  ever  sold  slaves,  and  although 
all  the  two  thousand  or  more  nurses  survived  their  dis- 
tinguished charge,  there  never  were  half  that  many  persons 
on  the  combined  estates  of  the  family  has  not  yet  been 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  325 

explained.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  mathematical  science 
will  some  day  reconcile  the  seeming  discrepancy;  if  it  does 
not,  then  so  much  the  worse  for  the  reputation  of  mathe- 
matics, for  of  course  the  statements  of  the  nurses  were 
entirely  accurate* — the  nurses  themselves  said  so. 

*In  estimating  the  number  of  Washington's  nurses  at  two  thousa  d, 
the  author  of  this  volume  reserves  the  right  to  modify  the  figures  in 
coming  editions;  for  although  the  lists  seem  to  have  been  completed 
some  years  ago,  influences  now  at  work  may  suddenly  enlarge  it.  The 
Southern  negro  now  enjoys  all  the  advantages  of  free  schools  and  free 
Bibles ;  when  the  former  have  enabled  him  to  read  the  latter  and  learn 
that  some  persons  have  lived  to  be  a  thousand  years  old,  he  may  be 
expected  to  resuscitate  some  of  Washington's  nurses — now  supposed  to 
be  dead — and  materially  extend  heir  years. 
George  Washington,  John  Habberton,  p.  324. 

The  Greatest  Man  Had  There  Been  No  Revolution 

If,  as  Professor  McMaster  has  said,  "George  Waslr- 
ington  is  an  unknown  man,"  it  is  because  we  know  the 
heroic  figure  and  have  forgotten  the  sane,  busy,  clear- 
headed man  portrayed  in  his  diary.  Washington,  in  the 
abstract,  as  taking  command  of  the  Continental  army  under 
the  Cambridge  elm,  is  an  unknown  man ;  not  so  the  Wash- 
ington viewing  his  white  oak  land  on  the  upper  Potomac, 
or  righting  an  honest  land  claim  in  the  courts,  or  sleeping  a 
night  in  his  military  cloak  amid  the  great  glades  of  the 
Youghiogheny.  "  It  does  not  detract  from  Washington's 
true  greatness,"  wrote  Professor  Adams,  "for  the  world  to 
know  this  material  side  of  his  character.  On  the  contrary, 
it  only  exalts  that  heroic  spirit  which,  in  disaster,  never 
faltered,  and  which,  in  success,  would  have  no  reward.  To 
be  sure,  it  brings  Washington  nearer  the  level  of  humanity 
to  know  that  he  was  endowed  with  the  passions  common 
to  men,  and  that  he  was  as  diligent  in  business  as  he  was 
fervent  in  his  devotion  to  country.  It  may  seem  less  ideal 
to  view  Washington  as  a  man  than  as  a  hero  or  statesman, 
but  it  is  the  duty  of  history  to  deal  with  great  men  as  they 
actually  are.  Man  lives  for  himself,  as  well  as  in  and  for 


326  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

the  State,  and  the  distinction  of  individual  from  patriotic 
motives  is  one  of  the  necessary  tasks  of  historical  investiga- 
tion."  In  passing  it  should  be  noted  that  in  all  his  en- 
deavors to  "open  the  door  to  the  West",  Washington  was 
ever  subject  to  the  accusation  of  self-interest ;  he  virtually 
acknowledges  in  a  letter  to  Jefferson  that  he  is  looked  upon 
as  a  prejudiced  prophet  when  he  affirmed  that  he  (Wash- 
ington) was  glad  to  know  that  Jefferson  coincided  with  him 
in  the  importance  of  the  intercommunication  scheme 
although  he  had  no  property  in  the  West.  So 'far  as  self- 
interest  goes  Washington  was  insistent  for  Potomac  improve- 
ment, whereas  the  vast  bulk  of  his  Western  property  lay 
on  the  lower  fifty  miles  of  the  Great  Kanawha  River;  had 
he  been  influenced  by  personal  motives  he  would  have  given 
his  whole  attention  to  the  James  River  improvement  and 
not  the  Potomac;  it  would  have  meant  far  more  to  him 
financially.  And  when  both  (Potomac  and  James)  com- 
panies were  established,  the  State  of  Virginia  subscribed  to 
fifty  shares  in  both  and  voted  them  to  George  Washington 
in  token  of  public  esteem  for  services  rendered ;  yet  Wash- 
ington refused  the  gift  until  he  had  found  a  method  of 
acceptance  that  left  him  not  one  penny  the  richer  for  it. 

But  return  to  the  proposition  made  by  Professor  Adams, 
that  it  not  only  does  not  lessen  our  esteem  of  Washington 
to  know  the  details  of  his  business  enterprises,  but  indeed 
increases  it.  I  submit  that  it  has  been  because  of  the 
lack  of  knowledge  of  Washington's  private  ambitions  and 
interests  that  Professor  McMaster  can  say  that  the  General 
and  President  are  known  to  as,  but  "George  Washington 
is  an  unknown  man."  What  is  needed  to  keep  the  perT 
sonality  of  that  truly  great  man  distinct  and  vivid  is  a 
properly  adjusted  estimate  of  the  "material"  as  well  as  the 
"heroic"  elements  of  his  character;  in  no  case  is  there  more 
urgent  need  of  a  "distinction  of  individual  from  patriotic 
motives"  than  in  that  of  Washington;  else  we  shall  keep 
the  "General"  and  "President"  and  lose  this  man  most 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  327 

perfectly  represented  in  the  diary  of  1784  and  its  affiliated 
correspondence — the  greatest  man  in  America  had  there  been 
no  Revolutionary  War. 

Washington  and  the  West,  Archer  Butler  Hulbert,  p.  108. 

The  Sublimest  Figure  in  American  History 

The  sublimest  figure  in  American  history  is  Washington 
on  his  knees  at  Valley  Forge.  He  was  in  that  hour  and 
place  the  American  people  personified,  not  depending  on 
their  own  courage  or  goodness,  but  asking  aid  from  God, 
their  Father  and  Preserver.  Washington  knew  that  morals 
are  priceless,  but  he  knew  that  morals  are  from  within. 
And  he  knew  that  in  that  dread  day  when  all,  save  courage, 
had  forsaken  the  American  arms,  appeal  must  be  to  that 
Power  beyond  ourselves,  eternal  in  the  heavens,  which  after 
all,  in  every  crisis  of  the  lives  of  men  and  nations,  has  been 
their  surest  source  of  strength. 

Men  and  nations  go  forward  in  their  prosperous  days 
boastfully  content  with  their  well-fed  and  often  narrowly 
righteous  lives.  Men  and  nations  in  these  fruitful  periods 
of  their  existence  glory  in  their  strength  and  even  in  their 
goodness.  But  the  strength  is  intoxication;  the  righteous- 
ness is  conventionality.  Fate,  that  schoolmaster  of  the 
universe,  brings  to  such  men  and  nations  her  catastrophes. 
And  in  an  instant  their  proud  tongues  are  still,  their  arrogant 
hearts  humbled,  and  they  learn  the  great  truth  that  enduring 
power  and  peace  come  not  from  within,  but  from  the  Giver 
of  every  good  and  perfect  gift. 

George  Washington  knew  that.  That  is  why  he  made 
the  snows  of  Valley  Forge  his  altar,  and  on  his  knees  asked 
aid  from  Him  "whom  the  enemy  had  forgotten.  The  enemy 
trusted  in  numbers  and  munitions — in  infantry,  cavalry, 
artillery.  Washington  trusted  in  these  things,  too;  but 
he  also  trusted  in  the  God  of  men  and  nations.  And  Wash- 
ington won. 

American  Character  Illustrated  by  Washington,  in  Work  and  Habits,  Albert  J.  Beveridge, 
P-  77. 


328  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 


Washington  the  Property  of  All  Mankind 

% 
Such  was  the  government  whose  policy  and  whose  aims 

were  directed  against  our  rights  and  liberties  during  the 
Revolutionary  War.  As  soon  as  the  struggle  began,  it  was 
obvious  that  England  could  hold  dominion  over  no  part  of 
the  country,  except  what  her  armies  occupied  or  wasted  for 
the  time;  and  that  the  issue  of  the  contest  turned  on  the 
question  as  to  which  would  first  yield,— the  obstinacy  of 
the  king  or  the  fortitude  of  the  Americans.  It  was  plain 
that  George  the  Third  would  never  yield  except  under  com- 
pulsion from  the  other  forces  of  the  English  constitution; 
that,  as  long  as  a  corrupt'  House  of  Commons  would  vote 
supplies,  he  would  prosecute  the  war,  no  matter  what  might 
be  the  expense  of  blood  and  treasure  to  England,  no  matter 
what  might  be  the  infliction  of  misery  upon  America.  Con- 
quest was  hopeless;  and  Lord  North,  before  the  war  was 
half  concluded,  was  in  favor  of  abandoning  it.  But  all 
considerations  of  policy  and  humanity  were  lost  upon  the 
small  mind  and  conscientiously  malignant  temper  of  the 
king.  Indeed,  the  peculiarity  of  our  struggle  consisted  in  its 
being  with  an  unwise  ruler,  who  could  not  understand  that 
war  waged  after  the  objects  for  which  it  was  declared  have 
utterly  failed  becomes  mere  rapine  and  murder;  and  our 
energy  and  endurance  were  put  to  the  terrible  test  of  bearing 
up  against  the  king's  armies,  until  the  English  nation, 
humbling  its  irritated  pride,  should  be  roused  in  our  behalfv 
and  break  down  the  king's  stubborn  purpose.  We  all  know, 
and  may  we  never  forget,  that  this  resistance  to  tyrannical 
innovation  was  no  fiery  outbreak  of  popiilar  passion,  spend- 
ing itself  in  two  or  three  battles,  and  then  subsiding  into 
gloomy  apathy;  but  a  fixed  and  reasonable  resolve,  proof 
against  corrupt  and  sophistical  plans  of  reconciliation, 
against  defeats  and  massacres,  against  universal  bankruptcy 
and  commercial  ruin, — a  resolve,  which  the  sight  of  burning 
villages,  and  cities  turned  into  British  camps,  only  mad- 


H.  K.  Brown,  Sculptor. 


EQUESTRIAN  STATUE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Union  Square,  New  York. 


"FIRST  IN  THE  HEARTS"  329 

dened  into  fiercer  persistence,  and  which  the  slow  consuming 
fever  of  eight  years'  war,  with  its  soul-sickening  calamities 
and  vicissitudes,  could  not  weaken  into  submission.  The 
history,  so  sad  and  so  glorious,  which  chronicles  the  stern 
struggle  in  which  our  rights  and  liberties  passed  through  the 
awful  baptism  of  fire  and  blood,  is  eloquent  with  the  deeds 
of  many  patriots,  warriors,  and  statesmen;  but  these  all 
fall  into  relations  to  one  prominent  and  commanding  figure, 
towering  up  above  the  whole  group  in  unapproachable 
majesty,  whose  exalted  character,  warm  and  bright  with 
every  public  and  private  virtue,  and  vital  with  the  essential 
spirit  of  wisdom,  has  burst  all  sectional  and  national  bounds, 
and  made  the  name  of  Washington  the  property  of  all 
mankind. 

Character  and  Characteristic  Men,  Edwin  P.  Whipple,  p.  303. 

Man,  Soldier,  Hero,  Statesman 

There  dwelt  a  Man,  the  flower  of  human  kind, 
Whose  visage  mild  bespoke  his  nobler  mind. 
There  dwelt  the  Soldier,  who  his  sword  ne'er  drew 
But  in  a  righteous  cause,  to  Freedom  true. 
There  dwelt  the  Hero,  who  ne'er  killed  for  fame, 
Yet  gained  more  glory,  than  a  Caesar's  name. 
There  dwelt  the  Statesman,  who,  devoid  of  art, 
Gave  soundest  counsels  from  an  upright  heart ; 
And,  O  Columbia,  by  thy  sons  caressed, 
There  dwelt  the  Father  of  the  realms  he  blessed; 
Who  no  wish  felt  to  make  his  mighty  praise, 
Like  other  chiefs,  the  means  himself  to  raise; 
But  there  retiring,  breathed  in  pure  renown, 
And  felt  a  grandeur  that  disdained  a  crown. 

The  Home  of  Washington,  Written  by  William  Day  on  the  back  of  a  picture  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

"  To  the  memory  of  the  Man,  first  in  war,  first  in  peace, 
and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen" 

(Resolutions  drafted  by  Colonel  Henry  fLight-horse  Harry]  Lee  and  presented  to  the. 
House  of  Representatives,  December  36,  I799-) 


WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON 


"We  should  never  despair." 

"  Influence  is  not  government. " 

"The  voice  of  mankind  is  with  me. " 

"The  work  is  done,  and  well  done." 

"Discourage  vice   in   every  shape." 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  who  are  Congress?" 

"Men  are  very  apt  to  run  into  extremes." 

"Letters  of  friendship  require  no  study." 

"Speak  not  evil  of  the  absent,  it  is  unjust." 

"True  friendship  is  a  plant  of  slow  growth." 

"  Men's  minds  are  as  variant  as  their  faces. " 

"  Be  courteous  to  all,  but  intimate  with  few. " 

"Peace  with  all  the  world  is  my  sincere  wish." 

"  It  is  better  to  be  alone  than  in  bad  company. " 

"  Let  your  hand  give  in  proportion  to  your  purse.  " 

"Those  murderers  of  our  cause— the  monopolizers!" 

"  I  require  no  guard  but  the  affections  of  the  people. " 

"True  religion  affords  government  its  surest  support." 

"It  is  our  duty  to  make  the  best  of  oftr  misfortunes. " 

"  Few  men  have  virtue  to  withstand  the  highest  bidder. '' 

"  Commerce  and  industry  are  the  best  mines  of  a  nation. ' ' 

"It  is  not  for  man^to  scan  the  wisdom  of  Providence. T> 

"Envious  of  none,  I  am  determined  to  be -pleased  with 
all." 

<33») 


"A  good  moral  character  is  the  first  essential  in  a 
man. " 

"  I  feel  everything  that  hurts  the  sensibility  of  a  gentle- 
man. " 

"Time  may  unfold  more  than  prudence  ought  to  dis- 
close." 

"My  policy  has  been  to  cultivate  peace  with  all  the 
world." 

"A  brother's  sword  has  been  sheathed  in  a  brother's 
breast." 

"  I  shall  ever  be  happy  to  relieve  the  anxiety  of  parted 
friends. " 

"  When  we  assumed  the  Soldier,  we  did  not  lay  aside  the 
Citizen." 

"Unnecessary  severity,  and  every  species  of  insult  I 
despise." 

"  Liberty,  when  it  begins  to  take  root,  is  a  plant  of  rapid 
growth. " 

"Let  us,  as  a  nation  be  just;  let  us  fulfil  the  public 
contracts. " 

"The  Constitution  is  the  guide  which  I  never  can 
abandon." 

"  Faithful  to  ourselves,  we  have  violated  no  obligations 
to  others. " 

"  I  hate  deception  even  where  the  imagination  only  is 
concerned." 

"The  power,  under  the  Constitution,  will  always  be  in 
the  people." 

"  I  do  not  like  to  add  to  the  number  of  our  national 
obligations." 

"The  friendship  I  have  conceived  will  not  be  impaired 
by  absence. " 


332  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"The  tumultuous  populace  of  large  cities  are  ever  to 
be  dreaded." 

'  "  The  love  of  my  country  will  be  the  ruling  influence  of 
my  conduct." 

"It  is  impossible  to  reason  without  arriving  at  a  Su- 
preme Being." 

"Let  your  heart  feel  for  the  afflictions  and  distresses 
of  every  one." 

"To  correspond  with  those  I  love  is  one  of  my  highest 
gratifications." 

"  We  are  now  an  independent  people  and  have  yet  to 
learn  political  tactics." 

"  A  wagon-load  of  money  will  scarcely  purchase  a  wagon- 
load  of  provisions!" 

"To  persevere  in  one's  duty  and  be  silent  is  the  best 
answer  to  calumny." 

"The  scene  is  at  last  closed.     I  feel  myself  eased  of  a 
load  of  public  care." 

"  I  hope,  some  day,  we  shall  become  a  store-house  and 
granary  for  the  world.  " 

"  The  company  in  which  you  will  improve  most  will  be 
least  expensive  to  you. ' ' 

"Resentment,  reproaches  and  submission  seem  to  be  all 
that  would  be  left  to  us." 

"To  be  prepared  for  war  is  one  of  the  most  effectual 
means  of  preserving  peace." 

"To  an  active  external  commerce  the  protection  of  a 
naval  force  is  indispensable.  " 

"  Bankruptcy  will  probably  be  made  their  ladder  to 
climb  to  absolute  authority." 

"Could  the  poor  horses  tell  their  tale,  it  would    be  a 
strain  still  more  lamentable." 


WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON  333 

"  I  pray  devoutly  that  we  may  both  witness,  and  that 
shortly,  the  return  of  peace." 

"There  is  no  restraining  men's  tongues  or  pens,  when 
charged  with  a  little  vanity." 

"Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your  breast  that  little  spark  of 
celestial  fire  called  Conscience." 

"  Let  us  have  a  government  by  which  our  lives,  liberties 
and  properties  shall  be  secured." 

"  I  believe  that  man  was  not  designed  by  the  all- wise 
Creator  to  live  for  himself  alone." 

"  I  shall  always  strive  to  prove  a  faithful  and  impartial 
patron  of  genuine,  vital  religion." 

"The  man  who  wishes  to  steer  clear  of  shelves  and 
rocks  must  know  where  they  lie." 

"  It  is  a  maxim  with  me  not  to  ask  what,  under  similar 
circumstances,  I  would  not  grant." 

"To  patch  up  an  inglorious  peace,  after  all  the  toil, 
blood  and  treasure  we  have  spent." 

"  Why  should  I  expect  to  be  exempt  from  censure,  the 
unfailing  lot  of  an  elevated  station." 

"  It  is  my  full  intention  to  devote  my  life  and  fortune  to 
the  cause  we  are  engaged  in,  if  needful." 

"  The  welfare  of  the  country  is  the  great  object  to  which 
our  cares  and  efforts  ought  to  be  directed.  " 

"Remember,  officers  and  soldiers,  that  you  are  free- 
men fighting  for  the  blessings  of  liberty." 

"  Slavery  will  be  your  portion  and  that  of  your  posterity, 
if  you  do  not  acquit  yourselves  like  men." 

"We  do  not  wish  to  be  the  only  people  to  taste  the 
sweets  of  an  equal  and  good  government." 

"We  must  not  despair;  the  game  is  yet  in  our  own 
hands;  to  play  it  well  is  all  we  have  to  do. " 


334  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"To  the  efficacy  and  permanency  of  our  Union  a 
government  for  the  whole  is  indispensable." 

"  I  can  never  think  of  promoting  my  convenience  at  the 
expense  of  a  friend's  interest  and  inclination. " 

"The  great  Ruler  of  events  will  not  permit  the  hap- 
piness of  so  many  millions  to  be  destroyed." 

"  I  shall  rely  confidently  on  that  Providence  which  has 
hitherto  preserved  and  been  bountiful  to  me." 

"Would  to  God  the  harmony  of  nations  were  ah  object 
that  lay  nearest  to  the  hearts  of  sovereigns!" 

"Let  us  with  caution  indulge  the  supposition  that 
morality  can  be  maintained  without  religion." 

"  Citizens,  by  birth  or  choice,  of  a  common  country,  that 
country  has  a  right  to  concentrate  your  affections. " 

"  I  hold  the  maxim  no  less  applicable  to  public  than 
to  private  affairs,  that  '  honesty  is  the  best  policy. ' 

"That  the  [U.  S.]  Government,  though  not  actually 
perfect,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  world,  I  have  little  doubt. " 

"  Our  cause  is  noble.  It  is  the  cause  of  mankind ;  and 
the  danger  to  it  is  to  be  apprehended  from  ourselves." 

"  No  punishment,  in  my  opinion,  is  too  great  for  the 
man  who  can  build  his  greatness  upon  his  country's  ruin. " 

"The  once  happy  and  peaceful  plains  of  America  are 
either  to  be  drenched  with  blood,  or  inhabited  by  slaves." 

"  Nothing  short  of  independence,  it  appears  to  me,  can 
possibly  do.  A  peace  on  other  terms  would  be  a  peace  of  war !" 

"The  history  of  the  war  is  a  history  of  false  hopes  and 
temporary  expedients.  Would  to  God  they  were  to  end 
here!" 

"Speculation,  peculation,  and  an  insatiable  thirst  for 
riches  seem  to  have  got  the  better  of  every  other  consid- 
eration. " 


WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON  335 

"As  you  were  pleased  to  leave  it  to  my  discretion  to 
punish  or  pardon  the  criminals,  I  have  resolved  on  the 
latter." 

"  Nothing  is  more  a  stranger  to  my  breast,  or  a  sin  that 
my  soul  abhors,  than  that  black  and  detestable  one  of 
ingratitude. " 

"  I  cannot  conceive  one  [rank]  more  honorable  than 
that  which  flows  from'  the  uncorrupted  choice  of  a  brave 
and  free  people." 

"  It  appears  to  me  that  little  more  than  common  sense 
and  common  honesty  would  be  necessary  to  make  us  a  great 
and  happy  nation." 

"  The  foundation  of  a  great  empire  is  laid ;  and  I  please 
myself  with  the  persuasion  that  Providence  will  not  leave 
its  work  imperfect." 

"  Here  every  portion  of  our  country  finds  the  most  com- 
manding motives  for  carefully  guarding  and  preserving  the 
Union  of  the  whole." 

"  With  joy  I  once  beheld  my  country  feeling  the  liveliest 
sense  other  rights  and  maintaining  them  with  a  spirit  appor- 
tioned to  their  worth. " 

"  I  am  resolved  that  no  misrepresentations,  falsehoods, 
or  calumny  shall  make  me  swerve  from  what  I  conceive  to  be 
the  strict  line  of  duty." 

"  I  believe  there  is  public  virtue  enough  left  among  us 
to  deny  ourselves  everything  but  the  bare  necessities  of  life 
to  accomplish  our  ends." 

"  It  does  not  accord  with  the  policy  of  this  government 
to  bestow  offices,  civil  or  military,  upon  foreigners  to  the 
exclusion  of  our  own  citizens." 

"The  consciousness  of  having  attempted  faithfully  to 
discharge  my  duty,  and  the  approbation  of  my  country,  will 
be  sufficient  recompense  for  my  services." 


336  THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON 

"  The  very  idea  of  the  power  and  the  right  of  the  people 
to  establish  government  presupposes  the  duty  of  every  in- 
dividual to  obey  the  established  government." 

"It  is  only  in  our  united  character,  as  an  empire,  that 
our  independence  is  acknowledged,  that  our  power  can  be 
regarded,  or  our  credit  supported  among  foreign  nations.  " 

"  The  great  Searcher  of  human  hearts  is  my  witness  that 
I  have  no  wish  which  aspires  beyond  the  humble  and  happy 
lot  of  living  and  dying  a  private  citizen  on  my  own  farm." 

"  I  need  not  mention  to  you  that  every  possible  tender- 
ness that  is  consistent  with  the  security  of  him  should  be 
shown  to  the  person  whose  unfortunate  lot  it  may  be  to 
suffer." 

"Though  I  prize,  as  I  ought,  the  good  opinion  of  my 
fellow-citizens,  yet,  if  I  know  myself,  I  would  not  seek  or 
retain  popularity  at  the  expense  of  one  social  duty  Or  moral 
virtue. " 

"The  affairs  of  this  country  cannot  go  amiss.  There 
are  so  many  watchful  guardians  of  them  (!) — and  such 
infallible  guides  (!)  that  no  one  is  at  a  loss  for  a  director  at 
every  turn. " 

"  Happy,  thrice  happy,  shall  they  be  pronounced,  who 
have  assisted  in  protecting  the  rights  of  human  nature, 
and  establishing  an  asylum  for  the  poor  and  oppressed  of 
all  nations  and  religions." 

"  It  appears  as  clear  to  me  as  ever  the  sun  did  in  its 
meridian  brightness,  that  America  never  stood  in  more 
eminent  need  of  the  wise,  patriotic,  and  spirited  exertions 
of  her  sons  than  at  this  period. " 

"There  is  not  a  man  living  who  wishes  more  sincerely 
than  I  do  to  see  a  plan  adopted  for  the  abolition  of  it 
[slavery].  Would  to  God  a  like  spirit  might  diffuse  itself 
into  the  minds  of  the  people  of  this  country!" 


WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON  337 

"Avoid  gaming.  This  is  a  vice  which  is  productive 
of  every  possible  evil.  It  has  been  the  ruin  of  many  a  worthy 
family,  the  loss  of  many  -a  man's  honor,  and  the  cause  of 
suicide.  Few  gain  by  this  abominable  practice,  while 
thousands  are  injured. " 

"The  supplicating  tears  of  the  women,  and  moving 
petitions  of  the  men,  melt  me  into  such  deadly  sorrow  that 
I  solemnly  declare,  if  I  know  my  own  mind,  I  could  offer 
myself  a  willing  sacrifice  to  the  butchering  enemy,  providing 
that  would  contribute  to  the  people's  ease. "  [From  a  letter 
written  when  he  was  24.] 

"Tis  well."     [His  last  words.] 


INDEX 


Abbott,  Jacob,  story,  I:   171. 

Adams,  John,  I:  204-7,  2I3.  245. 
246,  263,  264,  275,  277.  II: 
39,  217,  232,  233,  235,  236,  268, 
272,  274,  277,  279-80,  285-6, 
289,  290,  309. 

Adams,  Mrs.  John,  I:  24.^-6.  II: 
39,  280. 

Adams,  Samuel,  I:  iv,  199,  203, 
204-7,  165-  II:  38.  39.  85- 

Alexandria,  Va.,  I:  101,  114,  116, 
121,  145,  176.  II:  243;  "Ga- 
zette," 265;  307,317,319,320. 

Aliquippa,  "Queen,"  Indian  chief, 
I:  no. 

Allegheny  River,  I:  83,  102  103, 
121,  123. 

Allen,  Gen.  Ethan,  I:  216,  237. 

Alliance,  French,  II:  62,  67-75,  86- 

Ames,   Fisher,  II:   283. 

Amory,  T.  C.,  story,  I:   236. 

Ancestry  of  W.,   I:   1-20. 

Andre",  Maj.  John,  II:  37,  87-101. 

Annapolis,  I:   185.     II:   162-7. 

Appleby  School,  England,  I:  32-50. 

Arnold,  Gen.  Benedict,  I:  215,  232, 
238.  II:  ii— 12,  87—101,  in, 
112,  116,  168. 

Arnold,  Mrs.  Benedict  (' '  Peggy  ' ' 
Shippen),  II:  90,  91. 

Arnold,  Matthew,  editor,  II:   195. 

Asgill,  Capt.  Charles,  II:   145-7. 

"Athenaeum,"  Boston,  W.  collec- 
tion in,  II:  281. 

"Aurora,"  newspaper,  II;  279, 
287. 


B 

Bache,  Benjamin  Franklin,  editor, 

II:  279,  287. 
Baker,  William  Spohn,  stories.   I: 

2S9,  3°7- 
Baldwin,     James,     stories,     I:  33. 

II:  34- 
Ball,  Colonel,  W.'s  grandfather,  I: 

*3.  M. 
Ball,  John,  Mary  W.'s  ancestor.  I: 

4-7- 

Ball,  Joseph,  Mary  W.'s  brother,  I: 
14,   58-60,  letter,   61-3;  66. 

Barbadoes,  W.   I.,    I:  87-92;  W.'s 
Journal,  89-90,  95,  112. 

Bard,  Dr.  Samuel,  II:   227-8. 

Barter,  Philip,  gardener,  II:   194-5. 

Bassett,   Colonel,   I:   182-3,   212. 

Bastile,  Key  of,  see  Key. 

Battles  (W.  not  present  at  those 
in  parentheses),  Great  Mead- 
ows, I:  123-30;  Ft.  Necessity, 
130-4;  Ft.  Duquesne,  146-55; 
(Bunker  Hill,  207,  217);  (Lex- 
ington and  Concord,  210) ;  (Ti- 
conderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
210,  216);  storming  Boston, 
248-56;  Long  Island,  278-80; 
Kip  'sBay,  281-5  ;White  Plains, 
286-7;  290-1 ;  Trenton,  309-14; 
Princeton,  319-23;  Brandy- 
wine,  or  Chad's  Ford,  332-7; 
Germantown,  337-45 ;  (Sarato- 
ga, II:  13-16);  Monmouth,  50- 
64;  (Stony  Point,  77-81) ;  (Paul 
Jones's,  off  Flamborough  Head, 
England,  86) ;  (Charleston.S.C., 
10 1);  (Camden,  S.  C.,  101); 


(339) 


340 


JNDEX 


(King's  Mountain,  S.  C., 
10 1);  Yorktown,  Va.,  119-39; 
(Cowpens,  S.  C.,  168);  (Guil- 
ford  Court  House,  N.  C.,  168). 

Beaver  Creek,  Pa.,  I:  84,  103.. 

"Belvoir, "  I:  40,  43,  69,  93,  185, 
197.  II:  308-9. 

Bermuda,  W.  I.,  I:  91-3,  232. 

Bernard,  John,  actor,  I:  71. 

Beveridge,  Albert  J.,  story,  II:  327. 

Bienville,  Celeron  de,  I:  82,  84. 

Big  Bear,  Indian  chief,  I:   72-3. 

Bishop,   W.'s   servant,  I:   162-3. 

"Blockade  of  Boston,"  burlesque, 

I:  249-50. 

-Blue  Ridge,  I:  68,  72,  73,   74,  76, 
189. 

Bolden  Book,  first  record  of  W. 
family,  I:  2. 

Boston,  Mass.,  I:  158-60;  "Massa- 
cre," 186;  192,  193,  199;  "Tea 
Party,"  210;  Port  Bill,  210; 
213,  215,  217,  225-7,  231,  233> 
234,  236,  237,  240,  242-55; 
"Blockade,"  249-50;  Evacua- 
tion, 249—56,  257,  258,  314, 
II:  ir,  230—4. 

"Boston  Massacre,"  I:   186,  248. 

Braddock,  Gen.  Edward,  1 :  141-51, 
159,  162,  165—7,  I^9,  199,  217, 
235i  254-  II :  I26,  181. 

Brand ywine,  see  Battles,  also  I : 
332-6,  344.  II:  14,  22. 

Bridges'  Creek,  Va.,  I:  12,  13,  18, 
20,  46. 

Brington,  Great  and  Little,  Eng- 
land, I:  7—9. 

Brooks,  Elbridge  S.,  story,  I:   220. 

Brown,  Doctor,  W.'s  last  illness,  II : 
312-17. 

Bunker  Hill,  see  Battles,  also  I: 
207,  217,  234,  238,  247,  250, 
253,  257.  290.  , 

Burgesses,    House   of,    Va.,    I:   12, 


114,  141—2,144,  160,  168—9,184, 

187,  192.    (Delegates)   II:    49; 

(Assembly)    311. 
Burgoyne,  Gen.  John,  I:   202,  231, 

250.      II:    1 1—19,  22,  67. 
Burke,    Edmund,    I:   230.      II:   19. 
Burns,   David,   I:  v-vi.      11:291-2. 
Bustle,    William,    playmate,    I:  34. 
Butler,  Caleb,  I:    13,  16. 
Butterworth,   Hezekiah,  stories,    I : 

43.  76. 

Byron,  George  Noel  Gordon,  Lord, 
lines  on  W.     II:   195. 


Cabal,  Comvay's,  see  also  Conway, 

II:  38-48,  166. 
Cabinet,  W.'s,    II:   216,    221,    255, 

275.  279,  3°2. 
Cadwalader,     Gen.     John,     I:  307, 

313.      II:  44,  47. 
Ctesar,     Julius,      I:   219.     II:  164, 

329- 

Cambridge,    Mass.,    I:   218-55.   H: 
55,   136,   140,   154,   171,   231-2, 

237.  325- 
Camden,  S.  C.,  see  Battles,  also  II: 

loi,  102,  153. 
Capital,    National,    New  York,   II: 

209-48 ;  Philadelphia,  248-309; 

Washington,  309. 
Carleton,    Sir    Guy,    II:  138,    143, 

145,  146,  148,  156. 
Carlyle,   Thomas,   remarks  on  W., 

I:  iv-v,  1 12-13. 
Carpenters'  Hall,  I:   200. 
Carroll,  Charles,  I:   200. 
Carter,  Mr.,  Barbadoes,  I:  87-90. 
Carthagena,    siege,    I:  39,    41,    60, 

86.      II:    194. 

Castle  Williams,  I:   247,  249. 
Census,  First  in  U.  S.,  II:   248. 
Chad's  Ford,  see  Brandywine. 
Chamberlayne,  Major,  I:   162. 


INDEX 


341 


Charles  I,  I:  9-12,  81. 

Charles  II,  I:   151.      II:   62. 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  II:   101,  153,  246. 

Charlestown,  Mass.,  I:  217,  224, 
242. 

Chastellux,  Marquis  cle,  II:  80-4, 
189. 

Chatham,  William  Pitt,  Earl  of,  see 
Pitt,  William, 

Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  Indian  mas- 
sacre, II:  76. 

Chester,  Pa.,  I:  335-6. 

Chew  House,  German  town,  Pa.,  I: 
339-41.  See  also,  Battles, 
German  town. 

Choptank,  Va.,  I:  34,  41. 

Cincinnati,  city,  II:   248. 

Cincinnati,   Order  of  the,   II:   177, 

192-3,  199- 
"Cincinnatus    of    the    West,"    II: 

169-95. 

Clark,   William,   explorer,    II:   in. 
Clarke,  Major,  Governor  of  Barba- 

does,  I:   87-90. 
Clinton,  Gen.  George,  I:  274.  Gov., 

II:     169,     182,     210,    211,     268. 

Clinton,  Gen.  (Sir)  Henry,  I:  202, 
231,  243,  271,  278.  II:  12,  13, 

5°,  S3,  59,  6°,  62,  73,  79,  8l> 

92.  ro6,  107,  114,  122,  143,  174. 

Cochran,   Doctor,    surgeon- general, 

II:   84-5- 

Coffin, Charles  Carleton,story,1 :  1 50. 

Collins,  William,  lines,  "Captain 
Molly, "  II:  57—60. 

Comegys,  Cornelius,  stories,  I:  272. 
II:  21. 

Commission,  as  Commander-in- 
chief,  W.  received,  I:  209-10; 
resigned,  II:  165—6. 

Congress,  Continental,  and  U.  S., 
first,  I:  1 86;  193-6;  second, 

198,     2O2,    2O4-IO,    2l6—I7,    222, 

227,  233,  236,  240-2,  257,  259- 


66,  271,  288-9,  292,  3O2>  3°5> 
306,  308,  312-14,  316,  321-5, 
33T>  335-6-  II:  15,  19,  21-2, 
24,  28,  34,  38-49,  61,  63,  67, 
72,  74—6,  84,  102,  105,  106,  in, 
119,  141,  143,  144-6,  152,  !53, 
155-6,  158,  160,  165,  171,  179, 

193,   196,  2OI,  209,  211— 12,  222, 

225,  236-40,  247,  255,  262, 
268,  270-1,  272,  273-5,  280, 
283-5,  289-  329- 

Constitution  of  the  U.  S.,  II:   159, 

196—207,  213,  238,  248,  290. 
Continental  Congress,  see  Congress. 
Continental     money,       I:     270-1. 

II:  77,85,86,  152. 
Contrecoeur,  Captain,  I:   117,  120. 
Conway,      Moncure      D.,      stories, 

"Rules  of  Civility,"   I:  54-8. 
Conway,   Col.   Thomas,   I:  329-30. 

II:  38-48.  - 
Cornwallis,  Charles,  Gen.,  Marquis, 

I:   278,  292,  319,  326,  333.   II: 

50,  IO4,  113,  Il6,  117,  119,  122, 

127-37,  X68,  170,  191. 
Cowpens,  see  Battles,  also  II:   117, 

118,  168. 
Craik,  Dr.  James,  I:   188,  343.      II: 

126,133,140,181-2,295,312-20. 
Croftan,  Captain,  landlord  at  Bar- 

badoes,  I:  88. 
Croghan,  George,  Indian  trader,  I: 

83-5.  J37- 

Cromwell,   Oliver,   I:   12,    113. 
Crown  Point,  see  Battles. 
Cumberland,  Fort  and  town  (Wills' 

Creek),  I:  83,  102,  152,  157. 
Custis,  Mrs.  Daniel  Parke  (Martha 

Dandridge),  I:  vi,  164-5,   l66- 

170.      II:   292.     See   Washing- 
ton, Martha, 
Custis,  Eleanor  ("Nelly  :>),  II:  141, 

217,  256,  293,  298;  Mrs.  Lewis, 

3"- 


342 


INDEX 


Custis,  George  Washington  Parke, 
stories,  etc.,  I:  53,  163,  316, 

32r-  338.  342-5-  II:  S6-7.  "3» 
116,  118,  122—3,  I26,-  129,  130, 

*32,  134-5.  141-3.  l63.  186-7, 
209,   217,    246,    256,    259,   265, 

295,  297,  314,  318. 

Custis,  John,  ("Jack"),  W.  's  step- 
son, I:  175,  179,  197.  II: 
140—1. 

Custis,  Martha  ("Patsy"),  W. 's 
stepdaughter,  I:  169  172,  175, 
179-80. 


Dagworthy,  Captain,  I:    157,   159, 

1 60. 
Dandridge,      Bartholomew,      W.  's 

secretary,  II:  273. 
Davidson,  John,  interpreter,  I:  102. 
Day,   William,     lines     on    W.,    II: 

329- 

Deane,  Silas,  I:  330.    ' 
Declaration    of    Independence,    I: 

157,   241,    264-6,    272-4,   314. 

II:  152,  221,  290. 
Declaratory   Act,    I:   186. 
Delaware,   W.  crossing,  I:  307—11. 
Delaware  Indians,  I:  85,  103-4,  126. 
D'Estaing,  Count   Charles    Hector, 

II:  68-70. 
Dick,  Doctor,  W.'s  last  illness,  313- 

I7- 

Dickinson,  John,  "Farmer's  Let- 
ters," I:  199,  201,  265. 

Dinwiddie,  Gov.  Robert  (Va.),  I: 
97-100,  104,  108,  in— 12,  114, 
116,  118—19,  122  128,  131, 
137,  141-3,  156,  160-1. 

Dismal  Swamp  Company,  I:  185, 
186. 

Dorchester  Heights,  near  Boston, 
I:  243-9,  278. 

Drouillon,   prisoner,   I:   127-8. 


Duchd,    Rev.    Doctor,    I:   200. 
Duer,  William,  II:  46-7. 
Dumas,  Count,  II:  89. 
Dunbar,    Colonel,   with    Braddock, 

I:   ij6,  153,  253. 
Dunmore,    Lord,    Gov.    of   Va.,    I: 

193,  iQ7.  238,  243- 
Duquesne,  Fort,seeFort  Duquesne. 
Duyckinck,  Evart  A.,  story,  II:  208. 

E 

Eltham,    Va.,    I:   183.     II:   140-1. 

Emerson,  Rev.  William  (grand- 
father of  Ralph  Waldo),  I:  223. 

"Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Wash- 
ington," stories,-  I:  190,  329. 
II:  66,  256,  259. 

Estaing,  Comte  Charles  Hector,  d', 
•  >  II:  68-70.  See  D 'Estaing. 

Evacuation  of  Boston,  see  Battles, 
and  Boston. 

"Evangelist,"  the  New  York, 
story,  I:  34. 

Evans,  Lawrence  B.,  Ph.D.,  letters, 
etc.,  I:  153,  164,  210,  256,  314, 
323,  336.  II:  18,  152,  159, 
161,  167,  204,  206,  269,  306. 

Ewing,  General,  I:  313. 


Fairfax,  Anne  (Mrs.  Lawrence  W.), 

'  I:   41,  43,  44,  60,  67,  93,  94. 
Fairfax,  Bryan";  I:    194. 
Fairfax,  George  William,  I:  69,  71, 

74,    164,    196,    197,    202.      II: 

308. 
Fairfax,    "Sally"    (Gary),    I:   136, 

164-3.     II:  3°8' 
Fairfax,  Thomas,  SLxth  Earl  of,  I: 

40,    67-70,     72,     74,      76,    80, 

98,    160,    194.    II:    135-6,  181. 
Fairfax       ("Sir,"     "the    .Hon."), 

William,  I:    40-1,  43,  65,  67. 
Fairlie,  Major,  II:   248. 


INDEX 


343 


Falmouth  (Portland),  Me.,  burning 

of,  I:   238. 

Falmouth  Church,  Va.,  I:  33. 
Farewells  of  W.,  to  army  officers, 

II:   161—3;        address,     283-6; 

"more    farewells,"    284-5;  as 

President,   285-6;  last    words, 

314-16. 
"Farmer's    Letters,"    Dickinson's, 

I:   199-    • 
Federal  City    (Washington,  D.  C.), 

I:  vi,  177.     II:  242,  262,  290—2. 
Federal   Hall,    N.    Y.,    II:  212-13, 

239-40. 
"Ferry    Farm"    ("Pine    Grove"), 

opp.    Fredericksburg,    Va.,    I: 

43- 

"First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and 
first  in  the  hearts  of  his  coun- 
trymen, "II:  329. 

Fisher,  Sydney  George,  stories,  I: 
226,  327,  337.  II:  36,  82, 

IOO,    IOI. 

Fiske,  John,  I:  219.  II:  19,  35, 
53,  61,  64,  86,  119,  134. 

Fitzgerald,  Colonel,  I:  319-20. 

Five  (Six)  Nations,  Indian  con- 
federation, I:  77,  97. 

Flag,  colonial,  I:  239-42;  U.  S., 
260-4;  314,  II:  152,  213. 

Flying  camp,  I:   270-2. 

Forbes,  Gilbert,  I:   268-9. 

Ford,  Paul  Leicester,  stories,  I:  12, 
51,  78,  136,  139,  165,  178,  180, 
185,  212,  285.  II:  194,  247, 
301. 

Fork  of  the  Ohio,   I:  83,   97,    102, 

I31- 
Fort   Cumberland,    (Wills'    Creek), 

I:  83,  152.      See  Cumberland. 
Fort   Duquesne,   I:   103,    121,    131, 

136—7,     147,     162,    165—7,    see 

Battles. 
Fort  Lpfayette,  II:  80. 


Fort  Lee,  I:  271,  276,  288,  291-2 

Fort  Moultrie,  I:  314. 

Fort  Necessity,  I: -131-3,  137.   See 

also  Battles. 

Fort  Need  ham,  Barbadoes,  I:  89-90. 
Fort  Niagara,  I:  85. 
Fort  Pitt  (from  Duquesne),  I:   162, 

167.      II:   181. 
Fort  Schuyler,   II:   12. 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  I:   210,  237. 
Fort    Washington,    I:  271-3,    276, 

288-9,  291-2,  314. 
Fox,    Charles   James,    I:   230.      II: 

137-8,  150-1. 
Franklin,  Dr.  Benjamin,  I:  41,  144, 

150—2,  167,  201,    203,   213—14, 

237.  239-4o(   261,  274-5,   330. 

II:  67,  153,  172,  202,  321. 
Fraser,  Mrs.  Hugh,    stories,   I:  29, 

36,  47,  59,  101,  124,   125,   140. 
Fraunces,    Sam,    II:    161—2,    165, 

258-9. 

Frazier,  John,  I;  84,  102,  105,  no. 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  I:  35,  49,  50, 

54,101.    11:141-2,171,186-7, 

229,  244-5,  294,  298. 
Fredericktown,  Md.,  I:  74,  75,  145. 
Freeman,    Edward    A.,    story,    II: 

207. 
Freemasons,      W. 's       lodge,       II: 

319-20. 
French      Alliance,      see      Alliance, 

French. 
French  and  Indian  War,  I:  96,  99, 

120,  151,  156,  170,  186. 
French  Creek,  Pa.,  fort  and  region, 

I:   104,  107. 

French  Revolution,  II:   254. 
Freneau     (attacks     on     W.),      II: 

276-7. 
Frost,   J.,    LL.D.,    story,     II:  235, 

253- 
Fry,  Col.  Joshua,  I:  115,    116,    121, 


344 


INDEX 


Fulton,  Robert,  II:  280-1. 
Funeral  of  W.,  II:  318-20. 


Gage,  Gen.  Thomas,  I:  148,195,  196, 

202,  203,   210,   21-4-15,  223-5, 

231.  234-5.  257,  277. 
Gallatin,  Albert,  II:  255. 
"Gaspe'e,"    Commodore    Whipple, 

I:   192. 
Gates,  Gen.   Horatio,   I:  204,   208, 

222,     260,     287,     306-9.       II: 

11-15,     22,    39-46,     102,     153. 

Genet,    Edmond   Charles,    II:   272, 

274-5- 
Genn,  James,  surveyor,  1 :  65,7 1-2 , 

74- 

George  II,  I:  114,  130-1,  139. 
George  III,  I:   194,  215,  226,  228- 

30,  239-40,  273,  276,  324,  325. 

II:  136-8,  328. 

Germaine, Lord  George,  II:  136,138. 
Germantown,  Pa.,  see  Battles,  also 

I:  337-45.      II:   16-18,  20,  22, 

272-5, 
Gist,  Christopher,  I;   76,  82-5,  97, 

100-10.  125—6. 
Grasse,     Count     Franjois     Joseph 

Paul  de,  II:   114-15,  119-22. 
Gray,    Robert   E.,    I:  317-19.      II: 

1.35.  256-7,  281-3. 
Great    Meadows,   see    Battles,   also 

I:    122-34.      II:   176. 
Greene,    Gen.    Nathanael,    I:  208, 

222,  231,  280,  289—92,  3IO,  343. 

II:  25,  45,  57-9,  89,  103-4,  in, 
116,  119,  138,  141,  153,  322. 

Green  way  Court,  I:  43.  II:  136,  308. 

"Greenwood,"  "Grace,"  (Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Lippincott),  stories, 
I:  319.  II:  28,  135,  235,  257, 
283. 

Gregory,  Mildred  (Washington),  I: 
20.  II:  194. 


Grenville,    George,     I:   228-9.      II: 

i53- 

Guichen,  Count  de,  II:  89. 
Guilford,  Court  House,  see  Battles, 

also  II:   168. 


Habberton,  John,  stories,  I:  26, 
32,  96, 108, 115  121,  142,  145, 
157,  158,  161,  167,  173,  188, 
194,  197,  208,  217,  220,  223, 
227,  231,  238,  252,  274,  280, 
289,  291,  293,  307,  309,  312. 
II:  14,  45,  49,  73,  81,  88,  107, 
112,  115,  150,  158,  166,  201, 

2O5,  210,  217,  222,  224,  255, 
285,  288,  298,  299,  302,  322, 
323.  325- 

Hackensack,  N.  J.,  I:   272,   292. 

"Hail  Columbia,"  the  President's 
March,  II:  235. 

Hale,  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Everett,  I: 
iii;  stories,  38,  186,  254,  294. 
II:  54,  177,  178,  185,  288. 

Hale  (Sir),  Matthew,  "Contempla- 
tions," I:  18,  42. 

Hale,  Capt.  Nathan,  I:  285-6.   II: 

93- 

Half- King,  see  Tanacharisson. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  I:   279.      II: 

28,  54,  90,  94-5.  IIQ.  i55.  T72, 

198,    202,    2l6,   221-4,   237,    243, 

254-5.  3°6-  3i7. 321- 
Hamilton,  Robert,  II:  319. 
Hancock,  John,  I:    iv,  203,  205-6, 

210,  259.      II:   230-3. 
"Harper's  Weekly,"  story,  I:  183. 
Harrison,  Constance  Gary,  stories, 

II:   191,  195,  309. 
Harrison,  James  A.,  II:    154. 
Harrison,  Peleg  D.,  stories,  I:   240, 

261,  264. 
Heath,  Gen.  William,  I:  269,  286, 

291,  293, 326. 


7NDEX 


345 


Henry,  Patrick,  I:  50,  187,  198-200. 
208,225.  H:  205-6,223,244. 

Henry  VIII,  granted  Sulgrave  to 
W.  family,  I:  4,  8,  n. 

"Herbert,"  "Francis,"  editor, 
story,  II:  280. 

Hertburn  (Hartburn),  William  de, 
early  ancestor  of  W.,  1:  1-2.  • 

Hessians,  I:  221,  280,  289,  309-11. 
II:  50,  59,  60,  245. 

Hickey,  Thomas,  I:   267-70. 

Hill,  Frederick  Trevor,  stories,  I: 
341.  II:  26,  213. 

Historical  Tables,  see  Tables  of 
Events. 

"Hobby"  (Mr.  Grove?),  W.'s  first 
teacher,  1:  32-4. 

Holmes's  Annals,  story,  II:   131. 

House  of  Burgesses,  see  Burgesses. 

Howe,  Admiral  (Earl),  Richard,  I: 
271,  274-9,  300-1'  324-6. 
II:  36,  68. 

Howe,  Gen.  ("Sir"),  William  (Vis- 
count),!: 202,220-1,231,247, 
249-54,  266,  276-9,  286-7, 
289-91 ,294,  302,  305,  322,  325- 
7,  328,  333-4,  337-  345-  H: 
11-12,  36-7,  132-3. 

Ho  well,  Richard,  Gov.  of  N.  J., 
lines  to  W.,  II:  210. 

Hubbard,  Elbert,  story,  II:   133- 

Huddy,  Capt.  Joshua,  II:   146. 

Hulbert,  Archer  Butler,  stories, 
II:  183,  327. 

Humphreys,  Col.  David,  II:  183-4, 
201,  237,  253. 

Huntingdon,  Lady  (Selina,  Coun- 
tess of),  II:  192—3. 

Hyde,  Rev.  Dr.  Ammi  Bradford, 
stories,  I:  333.  II:  55. 

Hyde,  Mrs.  Anna  M.,  story,  II:  143- 


Inaugural,    W.'s    first,   II:   212-15, 
248;  second,  269-71, -309. 


Independence,  U.  S.,  see  also 
Declaration.  France  acknowl- 
edges, II:  16,  76;  hymn,  158; 
168. 

Innes,  Col.  James,  I:   131,  156. 

Iroquois  Indians,  I:  83. 

Irving,  Washington,  stories,  I:  4, 
ii,  13,  41,  43,  49,  69,  79,  82, 
84,  85,  87,  92,  103,  105,  106, 
129,  137,  146,  166,  242,  243, 
244,  246,  247,  249,  250,  252, 
254,  269,  273,  288,  297,  300, 
304,  308,  316,  331,  332.  II: 
22,  27,  37,  41,  48,  76,  83,  84, 
no,  141,  164,  176,  182,  190, 

211,     212,  219,  22O,  227,     228, 

229,     232,  233,  248,  252,     254, 

262,     269,  272,  276,  279,    284, 
293.  3°7- 


Jackson,  Major,  W.'s  secretary,  II: 
230-1,  237. 

Jay,  John,  Chief  Justice,  II:  216, 
219,  230,  236-7,  278,  321. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  I:  264-6.  II: 
179,  216,  221-3,  230,  243,  254- 
5,  273,  276-7;  story,  "Anas, " 
277;  280,  285,  290,  322, 
326. 

Jenkins,  Charles  Francis,  story,  II: 

275- 
Johnston,  Elizabeth  Bryant,  stories, 

II:   158- 

Joliet,  Louis,  I:  77. 

Joncaire,  Captain,  I:   105-8.- 

Jones,  Commodore  John  Paul,  I: 
212.  II:  86. 

Journals  of  W.,  first,  I:  74-76; 
Barbadoes,  87-90;  as  envoy, 
108-10;  1754,  116-120;  Sept., 
1784,  II:  182-3;  1789  to  1791, 

236-45- 
Jumonville,    Sieur    de,     I:    124-6, 

130-3- 


INDEX 


Kanawha,  river  and  region,  I:   no, 

188.      II:   181-3,  326. 
Key  of  the  Bastile,  II:  253-4. 
"King    George,"    see    George    II, 

George  III. 

King  George's  War,  I:   41. 
King's  Mountain,  see  Battles,  also 

II:  101. 

Kip's  Bay,  see  Battles. 
Knowlton,  General,  I:  242,  285. 
Knox,  Gen.  Henry,  I:   237.      11:53, 

59,  89,  91,  121,  127,  163,  199, 

210,   213,   216,   236,   237,   243, 

255,  264,  275. 
Knyphausen,   Hessian  general,  II : 

5°.  53- 

Kosciuszko,  Thaddeus,  I:  330.  II. 
299. 

L 

Lafayette,  Gilbert  Motier,  Marquis 
de,  I:  331-2,336.  II.  22,29, 
42,  51,  56,  68-9,  71,  83,  89,  91, 
ni-12,  115-16,  130,  143,  159, 
169,  184-7,  I9I«  r97-  2S3.  294. 

La  Force,  prisoner  at  Great  Mead- 
ows, I:  125,  128. 

Lanahan,  Dr.,  Barbadoes,  I:  90. 

Laurens,  Col.  Henry,  II:  44-5,  93-4, 
108,  112,  125,  153. 

Lear,  Col.  Tobias,  secretary,  II: 
195,  230,  237,  239,  249-52, 
265-7,  280,  299,  304,  310—21. 

Lee,  Arthur,  M.D.,  I:   18,  213. 

Lee,  Gen.  Charles,  I:  204,  208, 
217,  222.  237,  256,  287-8, 
290—3,  298-300,  302—6.  II: 

50-65- 

Lee,  Ezra,  I:  300—1. 

Lee,  Gen.  Henry  ("Light-horse, 
Harry"),  I:  18.  II:  26-7,  77, 
81— 2,  243,  289—90,  292—3, 


Lee,  Richard  Henry  ("Dickey"), 
I:  18,  36-8,  265.  II:  39. 

Lee,  Thomas,  I:  81. 

L'Enfant,  Major,  II:  241. 

Letters  of  W.,  to  "Dickey"  (Lee), 
I:  36-8;  to  Brother  "Jack," 
152-3;  to  Mrs.  Custis,  164;  to 
*  Adjt.  Muse,  170;  to  Mrs.  W., 
21  r ;  to  Gen.  Gage,  234;  to  sec. 
Reed,  239-40;  to  Reed,  241—2; 
to  "Jack,"  255-6;  to  Mrs. 
Philipse,  293;  to  Reed,  299; 
(part)  to  bro.  Augustine,  304; 
to  Col.  Cadwalader,  307:  to 
President  of  Congress,  312-14; 
reports  Battle  of  Princeton, 
321-3;  reports  B.randywine, 
335-6;  (part)  to  Gates,  II:  14; 
to  John  A.  W.,  1 6-1 8;  to  Con- 
gress, 21 ;  to  "Light-horse 
Harry,"  27;  (part)  to  President 
of  Congress,  38;  (part)  to 
Laurens,  44— 5 ;  to  a  friend,  46; 
to  speaker  Va.  House,  49;  to 
Gen.  Chas.  Lee,  60-1 ;  to  G. 
Morris,  67,  70-1;  to  President 
of  Congress,  67-8;  to  Gen. 
Sullivan,  68;  to  Lafayette,  68- 
9;  to  D'Estaing,  68;  to  Reed, 
71;  to  James  Warren,  72;  to 
President  of  Congress,  72—3, 
75-6;  to  Lafayette,  83;  to  Dr. 
Cochran,  84-5;  (part)  to  Lau- 
rens, 93-4 ;  (part)  to  explorer 
Clark,  in;  (part)  to  Laurens, 
1 1 2 ;  to  Lund  W. ,  117-.  (part)  to 
Greene,  145;  part  to  Mc-Henry, 
145;  to  Col.  Nicola,  147-8;  on 
reducing  the  army,  149-50;  to 
Tench  Tilghman,  150-2;  (parts) 
to  Hamilton,  155;  to  gover- 
nors, 155 -6*;  to  Lafayette,  159; 
to  Dr.  Gordon,  160— i;  (part) 
to  Gov.  Clinton,  169;  to  R. 


INDEX 


347 


Morris,  178;  (part)  to  Mesmer, 
185;  to  Marchioness  Lafayette, 
185;  (part)  to  a  nephew,  188- 
9;  (part)  to  Marquis  Chastel- 
lux,  189;  (part)  to  Madison, 
200;  (part)  to  Hamilton,  202; 
(whole)  to  Hamilton,  203-4; 
to  Henry,  205-6;  to  Hancock, 
233;  to  a  poetess,  246-7;  to 
Lear,  249-50;  251-2";  280-1; 
(part)  about  niece,  293;  about 
love,  298;  to  Kosciuszko,  299; 
(part)  to  Jack  Custis's  widow, 
300;  about  marriage,  300;  to 
the  Secretary  of  War,  301-2; 
to  a  Federalist,  302;  to  a 
poetess,  302;  about  his  own 
death,  303;  to  Lear,  303-4;  to 
John  Adams,  304-6;  (part)  to 
Sally  (Gary)  Fairfax,  309. 

Lewis,  secretary,  II:   237,  253. 

Lexington  and  Concord,  see  Battles, 
also  I:  203,  210,  213-14.  II: 

'57-8- 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  compared  to  W. 
I:  v,  ix.  II:  289. 

Lincoln,  Gen.  Benjamin,  II:  u,  128. 

Lippencut  (Lippincott),  Captain, 
II:  146. 

Livingston,  Chancellor  Robert  R., 
II :  212,  280. 

Livingston,  Gov.  William  (of  N.  J.) , 
1 :  292. 

Lodge,  Senator  Henry  Cabot, 
stones,  I:  71,  73,  95-  XI3-  I22' 
130,  135,  143-  T47,  i55.  159< 
162,  169,  181,  184,  193,  195. 
196,  203,  204,  233,  258,  281, 
287,  292,  302,  306,  324,  329, 
335.  345-  II:  12,39,42,  44-  71- 
•  90,  92,  94,  103,  104,  117,  121, 
127,  145,  148,  156,  164,  168, 
170,  173,  181,  184,  193,  i98> 
200,  203. 


Logstown,    Indian    village    on    the 

Ohio,  I:  83-5,  97-9,  103-5. 
"London    Chronicle,"    newspaper; 

I:    250.    Story,  II:   152. 
Long  Island,   see   Battles,   also,   I: 

287,   289,   290,   314,   344.      II: 

129. 
Lossing,  Benson  J.,  LL.D.,  stories, 

etc.,  I:  7,   14,   16,   17,   19,  264. 

II:     16,     114,     163,    239,   241, 

243-  245- 

Loudon,  Lord,  I:   143. 
Louisburg  captured,  I:  41. 
"Lowland  Beauty,"  who?   I:  77-8. 

M 
Mabic,     Hamilton    Wright,   editor, 

stones,  II:   271,  286,  290,  294, 

308. 
MacKinnon,  of  Coldstream  Guards, 

story, II:   101. 
Marblehead     fishermen     (company 

of),  I:   236,  279,  290. 
Marquette,  Pere,  I:   77. 
Marshall,    John,  Chief    Justice,    I: 

339.        Stories,     II:    79,     109; 

W. 's  laughter,  173-4- 
Marye,  Rev.  James,  I:  49-5°,  54~5- 
"  Mary  landers,  "     Smallwood's 

(troop),  I:   266. 
Mason,  George,  I:  69,  179. 
McMaster,  John   Bach,    II:  325-6. 
Meade,  Bishop  of  Va.,  letter,  I:  61. 
Mercer,  Gen.   George,   I:    184,  320, 

322. 

Mesmer,  Friedrich  Anton,  II:   185. 
Miami,   river,    village  and  Indians, 

I:  83,85,97. 
Mimin,  Gen.  Thomas,  I:  260,  279, 

282-3,   292.      II:  40,   166-7. 
Miller,  Peter,  II:  32-4. 
Mingo  Indians,  I:  84,  104,  117,  126. 
Mischianza,  the,  II:  36-7. 
Mitchell,    S.    Weir,     M.D.,    LL.D, 


348 


INDEX 


stories,  I:  34,  41,  44,  46,  50,  66, 

70,  73,  80,  98.    200,   202,   203, 

221,    331.  II:   29,  96,  125,  128, 

162. 
"Molly,"      "Captain,"      of      Mon- 

mouth,  II:   57-60. 
Moneami,  see  Miami. 
Monmouth ,  see  Battles,  also  1 :  301. 

II:  50-64,  76. 
Monongahela,  river  and  region,  I: 

102—3,  JI9i   I2Ii  I23>  *47>  189. 

II:   181-3. 
Monroe,    James,    I:   18,    311.     II: 

290,  311. 

Montagnie,  Rev.  Mr.,  II:   113-14. 
Montgomery,  D.  H.,  stones,  I:  279, 

319.      II:    197. 
Montgomery,  Gen.  Richard,  I:  208, 

238.  243- 
Moore,  George  H.,  stories,  I:  276. 

II:  65. 
Morgan,  Gen.   Daniel,  I:   225,  236. 

II :   59,  104,  1 16. 
Morris,  Gouverneur,  II:   46-7,    67, 

70. 
Morris,  Robert,  I:   201,260-3,316- 

J9-   332-3-      II:   114,  135,   177, 

202,    249-52,   276. 

Morristown,  N.  J.,  headquarters, 
1:323,326,328-9.  II:  22,113, 
248. 

Mount  Vernon,  I:  vii-ix,  43,  60,  67, 
69,  78,  86,  93-5,  135,  140-1, 
152-3,  161,  168-86,  196-7, 
204,  2ir— 12.  II:  117,  120, 
130,  141,  169—94,  198,  217, 

220,     224,     243,     245,     249,     254, 
268,    282,   288-321. 

Moustier,  Count  de,  II:   280. 
Murphy,  Thos.  D.,  story,  I:  9. 
Muse,    Adjutant    (Colonel),  I:  86, 

170. 

Musgrave,  Colonel,  I:   339-41. 
Muskingum,  Indian,  village,  I:  84. 


Napoleon,   contrasted   with  W.,  I: 

v;  compared,  219.   II:  322. 
Nash,  General,  I:  343-4. 
"National      Intelligencer,"     story, 

II:   253. 
Nations,  Five   (Six),  the,  I:  77,  97, 

118. 

Needham,  see  Fort  Needham. 
Nelson,   secretary,    II:   237,  253. 
Nelson,  war-horse,   II:   130,  191. 
Newburg,     headquarters,     II:   143, 

150,  159-60. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  I:  302.    11:68,  in. 
Niagara,  town  and  fort,  I:  85. 
Nicola,  Colonel,  II:   147-8. 
Norfolk,  Va.,  I:   238,257.    II:   in. 
Norman  ancestors  of  W.,  1 :   1-3. 
North,  Lord  Frederick,  I:  227,  230. 

II:   19,  62-3,  136-8,  328. 
"Northern  Neck,"  Va.,  I:   12,  76. 


Oglethorpe,  James  Edward,  Ga.,  I: 
41. 

O'Hara,  General,  II:   127-8. 

Ohio  Company,  the,  I:  7<.  94,  97, 
103,  114, 

Ohio,  river  and  region,  I'  77,  94, 
97-9,  102,  108,  114,  7.6,  133, 
166.  II:  275. 

"Old  South  Leaflets,"  fi  st  In- 
augural, II:  214-15. 

Orders,  W.'s,  I:   275.      II:   "0-31. 

Oswald,   British  commissioner,   II: 

I5L  T53- 
Otis,  James,  I:   199. 


Paine,  Thomas,  I:  274,  314 
Peale,  Charles  Willson,  II :  323. 
Penn,  William,  and  his  descendants, 
I:   151. 


INDEX 


349 


"Pennsylvania  Gazette,"  the,  I: 
151,  260. 

"Pennsylvania  Journal,"  the,  two 
accounts,  I:  269-70. 

Peter,  negro  slave,  I:  33,41,45,93. 

Peterson,  Henry;  stories,  II:   75,  99. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  I:  20,  159,  197, 
203,  208,  214,  217,  259-66, 
271,  289,  302,  307-9,  317-19, 
322,  326,  332,  337,  341.  II: 
12,  16,  20,  31—7,  47,  60,  62, 
76,  84,  86,  87,  91,  105—6,  114, 
119,  134,  141,  144,  15°.  T53. 
163-4,  177,  199,  200,  201-3, 
217,  234-5,  248,  249-59,  301, 
306. 

Philipse,  Mary,  I:  159;  W.'s  letter 
to  mother,  293-4. 

Pickering,  Colonel,  I:   294. 

"Pine  Grove"  see  "Ferry  Farm", 
opp.  Fredericksburg,  I:  35,46. 

Piqua,  O.,  Indian  village,  I:  85. 

Pitt,  William  ("the  Elder"),  Earl 
of  Chatham,  I:  161-2,  208, 
229.  II:  15-16,36,63,139. 

Pitt,  William  ("the  Younger"), 
II:  137- 

Pittsburg  (Fort  Pitt),  I:  83,  138. 

Pohick  Church,  near  Mount  Ver- 
non,  1 :  21,  179. 

Political    Parties,   first,    II:    254-5, 

3°9- 

Pontiac  War,  I:   186. 

Pope,  Anne,  W.'s  great-grand- 
mother, I:  12. 

Pope's  Creek,  Va.,  I:   18,  20,  45. 

Population  of  States  in  1775, 1:215. 

Port  Bill,  I:    192,  210. 

Porto  Bello,  I:   39,  60. 

Potomac  River,  I:  12,  18,  20,  29, 
45,  60,  127,  171.  II:  117, 
169,  190,  193—4,  281,  291, 
326. 

Prescott,  Gen.  William,  I:  208,  290. 


"President's  Palace"  (the  White 
House),  I:  v.  II:  262,  290-1. 

Presque  Isle  (Erie),  Pa.,  I:   117. 

Primus,  negro  servant,  I:   294-5. 

Princeton,  N.  J.,  see  Battles,  also  I: 
301,  311,  319-26,  328.  II: 
22,  132,  153. 

Proclamation.  W.'s  in  N.  J.,  I:  324^ 
k.  5;  the  Howes',  325-6. 

Pulaski,   Count  Casimir,   I:  337-8. 

Putnam,  Gen.  Israel,  I:  208,  215, 
222,  235,  242-3,  248,  252-3, 
278,  280,  283,  326.  II:  13, 248. 


Quadrille,     dance     introduced    by 

Frenchofficers.il:   74—5. 
Quakers,  J:  8r.     II:   74. 
Quebec  captured,  I:   167. 


Rahl    (Rail),  Gen.,    Hessian  com- 
mander, I:   310-12. 
Ramapo  Pass,  II:   113-14. 
Randolph,  Edmund,  II:   199,  216, 

255- 

Randolph,   Peyton,  I:  201,  221. 
Rappahannock,    river,    I:   12,     14, 

20,31,  43.48,  171-     H:  294- 
Reed,   Col.   Joseph   (secretary),    I: 

239, 241,  282,  292-3,  298-300. 

II:  71. 
Reed,    President    Pa.    Legislature, 

II:   75,  82,  106. 
Resigning    his  (W.'s)  cornmission, 

II:    166-7. 
Robinson,    Colonel,    tory,     II:    89- 

90. 
Robinson,  W.  S.,  lines   on  W.,  II: 

168. 
Rochambeau,  Count  de,   II:  88-9, 

103,  115,  120,  133,  148,  171. 
Rockingham,    Marquis  of,    I:  229. 

II:  138- 


INDEX 


Roosevelt,    Theodore,    stories,    II: 

in,  279. 
Ross,   Mrs.    Elizabeth     ("Betsy"), 

I:   260-3. 

Ross,  Col.  George,  I:  261-3. 
Rouzy,  Reuben,  II:  256. 
"Rules  of  Civility  and  Behaviour,  " 

I:  40,    54-8;    (47    of    the    no 

"Rules"),  55-8. 
Rush,  Richard,  story,  II:  267. 
Rutledge,  Edward,  I:  265,   275. 


Saratoga,  see  Battles,  also  II:  22, 

62. 

Savannah,  Ga.,  II:  76. 
Sayings  of  Washington,  II:   330-7. 
Scammel,  Adjt.-Gen.,  II:  99,  124. 
Schauffler,    Robert  Haven,  stories, 

I:  295,  II:    129,  177,  289,   293. 
Schuyler,  Gen.  Philip,  I:  208,  217, 

218,  223,  259,    306.     II:     13- 

14,  87,  152, 322. 
Scudder,  Horace  E.,  stories,  I:  176, 

179,    191,    198,    218.     II:  25, 

47,  85,  221,  225. 
Seawell,    Molly    Elliot,     stories,    I: 

65-  94,  99- 

Seelye,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Eggleston, 
story,  I:  21. 

Selections  from  Washington's  let- 
ters, speeches,  etc.  ("Words 
of  Washington"),  II:  330-7. 

Shannoah    Indians,    I:   104-5. 

Shannopih  (town),  Indian  village, 
I:  83,  109. 

Shawnee  Indians,  I:  85. 

Shays's  Rebellion,  II:   197—8,  248. 

Shelburne,  Lord,  II:   150-1. 

Shenandoah,  river  and  valley,  1:72, 
74,  101,  160.  II:  64,  182,  308. 

Shingiss,  Delaware  chief,  I:   103. 

Shirley,  Gen.  William,  I:  157,  159- 
60. 


Shuldham,  Admiral,  I:   249,  252. 
Six  Nations,  see  Five  Nations. 
Smillpot,  W.  ill  with,  I:   90. 
Smith,    Nora  Archibald,  stories,   I: 

30,  161. 
Sparks,  Rev.  Dr.  Jared,  I:  vi.      II: 

322. 

"Spectator"  the,  I:   67. 
Speech   belts    (wampum),    I:     105, 

117-19. 
Spottswood,     Alexander,     Gov.    of 

Va.,  I:   14,  49. 
Stamp    Act,    the,     I:   186-7,  ~2I3' 

228-9.      II:    173. 
Stark,  Gen.  John,  I:   208,  215. 
St.    Clair,    Gen.    Arthur,     I:     308. 

II:   106,   261—2,  263—7. 
Stephen,  Gen.  Adam,  I:  338. 
Steuben,  Baron  Frederick  William, 

II:  34,  45-  52-3,  70'1.  279- 
Stirling,  Lord,  I:   269.      II:   152. 
Stobo,  Capt.  Robert,  I:    133,  136— 

7,  141. 
Stony   Point,  see  Battles,  also  II: 

77-81,86,  105,  125,  152. 
St.  Pierre,  Chevalier  Legardeur  de, 

I:   107-8,  1 1 1-12. 
Strahan,  William,  I:   214. 
Stuart,     Gilbert,     I:   70.     II:  279, 

289,  323. 

"Sugar  House,"  the,  II:   113. 
Sulgrave,     "Washington     Manor," 

I:  7-9- 
Sullivan,   Gen.   John,    I:  236,   280, 

306,  309-11,   331,   333-4,  342. 

II:  68,   176. 
Surveying,  W.'s,  I:  46,  49,  65,  67, 

69,  70,  71-6,  77,  79-80. 
Sutherland,  Canon  R.  G.,  verse,  II: 

35- 


Tables  of  Events,  1732  to  1752,  I: 
41;  1750  to  1760,  167;  1760  to 


i77°i  186;  1770  to  1775,  210; 
177,6,  314.  1777,  II:  22;  1778, 
76;  1779,  86;  1780,  101;  1781 
to  1783,  168;  1786  to  1790, 
248;  1790  to  1800,  309. 

Taft,  William  Howard,  President, 
I:  181. 

"Talisman"  (magazine),  story,  II: 
280. 

Tanacharisson,  "the  Half-King" 
(Seneca  chief),  I:  83,  97,  103- 
5 ;  ( W.  calls  him  Scruneyattha), 
117-20;  125-8,  132-3,  138. 

Tarleton,  Col.  Banastre,  II:  117- 
18,  133-4- 

Tax  on  tea,  paper,  paint  and  glass, 
I:  186,  2to. 

"Taa  Party,"  Boston,  I:   210,  213. 

Thackeray,  William  Makepeace, 
stories,  I:  138.  II:  167-8. 

Thomas,  Gen.  John,  I:  246,  248. 

Thomson,  Charles,  I:  210.     II:  134. 

Thornton,  Doctor,  II:   318-20. 

Ticonderoga,  Fort,  I:  210,  237,  see 
Battles,  and  Fort. 

Tilghman,  Col.  Tench,  secretary,  I: 
288.  II:  no,  124,  134. 

Tomlinson,  Everett,  stories,  I: 
207,  216,  225,  266,  286,  298, 

301.  3"- 

Toner,  J.  M.,  M.D.,  W.'s  diaries, 
First  Journal,  I:  76;  Barba- 
does,  90;  to  Ohio,  no;  Jour- 
nal of  1754, 120;  Ft.  Necessity, 

133- 

Tories  (Loyalists),  I:  232,  243, 
249-52,  257-8,  267-70,  274, 
304,  310.  II:  31,  73,  89,  101, 
104,  128,  145-7. 

Townshend,    Charles,   I:    229-30. 

Treaty,  Utrecht,  I:  114;  French 
and  Indian  War,  186.  Revo- 
lution, II:  150,  152-6,  156-8, 
161,  168;  Jay,  278-9,  309. 


Trent,  Capt.    William,   I:  97,   114, 

Il6—I7,     I2O,    122,    137. 

Trenton,  see   Battles,  also  I:  301, 

3°5>  307,  3°9-I9.  32!-2.  326- 

II:  210. 
Trumbull,  Jonathan,   Gov.   of  Ct., 

I:  222. 
Tryon,    William,    British     Gov.    of 

N.  Y.,  I:  232,  243,  267.  II:  73. 
Twightwees,  Indians,  I:  83. 
Tyler,  Wat,  I:  4-6. 

U 

United  Colonies  of  North  America, 
I:  206;  flag,  239-41. 

United  States  of  America,  govern- 
ment organized,  II:  209—27. 

United  States  Bank,    II:  309. 

United  States  Mint,  II:  309. 

Utrecht,  Treaty  of,  see  Treaty. 


Valley  Forge,  I:  vii.  II:  22-37, 
82,  139,  174,  327. 

Van  Braam,  Jacob,  I:  86,  100-9, 
116,  133,  II:  175-6. 

Venango,  village,  river  and  region, 
I:  102,  105,  117. 

Vergennes,  Count  Charles  Gravier 
de,  I:  345.  II:  146. 

Vernon,  Admiral  Edward,  I:  35, 
39,  60,  62,  64.  II:  194. 

"Ville  de  Paris,"  French  man-of- 
war,  II:  120— i. 

Villier,    Capt.    Coulon   de,    I:   131, 

133- 

Virginia,  neighbors'  views  of  W.,  I: 
v;  arrival  of  W.'s  ancestors  in, 
12;  no  free  schools  in,  15; 
schools,  31-3;  instruction,  38; 
aristocracy  of,  43  ;  education, 
50 ;  fondness  for  horses,  5 1 ; 
sea  less,  favored  in,  65;  sur- 
veying not  considered  "gentle- 


INDEX 


manly,"  67;  fox-hunting  in, 
68;  bad  roads,  72;  interest  in 
Ohio  region,  77;  settled,  81; 
war  spirit,  85;  belles,  95;  dis- 
turbed by  French,  97;  hubbub 
in,  114;  storm  raised  in,  138; 
troops  with  Braddock,  147, 
149-50;  belief  in  Col.  W.,  153; 
frontier  ravaged,  159;  planta- 
tion in,  174-6;  general  con- 
vention, 194;  army  of,  198; 
ancestry  and  spirit,  222,  257. 
Invasion  by  Arnold,  II:  116; 
W.  a  distinguished  citizen  of, 
170;  like  a  tonic,  171;  to 
American,  172-3;  "old-fash- 
ioned fox-hunt,"  177;  Lafay- 
ettes  become  citizens  of,  185 ; 
would  not  have  re-elected  W., 
389;  "Mother  of  Presidents," 
290. 
Volney,  C.,  Frenchman,  II:  260. 

W 

Waggoner,  Captain,  I:  126,  149. 
"Wake field,"    W.'s   birthplace,    I: 

20,  45,  49. 

Walpole,  Horace,  I:   130. 
Ward,  Ensign,  I:   117-18. 
Ward,     Gen.     Artemas,     I:   205-8, 

222,    253. 

Warren,  James,  II:   72. 
Washington,   Augustine,    W.'s 

father,  I:  13,  16-18,  20,  41,  58. 
Washington,  Augustine ( ' '  Austin' ') , 

W.'s    half-brother,    I:   13,   18, 

20,  32,  45,  49,  50. 

Washington,   "Betty,"  see    Wash- 
ington, Elizabeth. 
Washington,  Bushrod,  W.'s  nephew, 

I:  viii.     II:   174,177,182,317, 

320. 
Washington,  Butler,  infant  son  of 

Augustine  and  Jane,  I:   16. 


Washington,  Charles,  W.'s  brother, 
I:  13,  46. 

Washington,  Elizabeth  (sister 
"Betty,")  married  to  Fielding 
Lewis,  I:  13,  46.  II:  171,  186, 
188,  244. 

Washington,  George,  born  in  Eng- 
.land,  1608,  I:  7. 

Washington,  George,  "true,"  I:  i; 
boy,  ii;  hatchet  story,  iii;  love 
of  truth,  iii,  iv;  fondness  for 
tea,  iv;  for  women,  iv;  shy- 
ness, iv;  false  stories  about,  iv; 
unsavory  tales  about,  iv;  Car- 
lyle's  opinion  of,  iv;  British 
views  of,  iv;  teeth,  v;  neigh- 
bors' opinion  of,  v;  with  David 
Burns,  vi;  sense  of  humor,  vii, 
viii,  disapproval  of  mother's 
acts,  vii;  uncontrollable  laugh- 
ter, viii ;  hospitality,  viii ;  brings 
hot  tea  to  guest  at  night, 
viii,  ix;  the  real  man,  ix; 
diaries,  ix;  ancestry,  1-20; 
sends  (1792)  genealogical  table 
to  London,  16;  birth  of,  19; 
"sin  of  selfishness,"  22-3; 
cherry-tree  story,  23-6;  lesson 
of  the  plants,  26-8;  throws 
stone  across  the  Rapphannock, 
31;  "Hobby's"  school,  32-4;* 
cousins  at  Choptank,  34;  letter 
to  "Dickey,"  36-8;  father 'v 
death,  41;  life  at  "Ferry 
Farm,"  43;  first  fox-hunt,  44-, 
at  Mr.  Williams's  school,  45-6; 
sports  and  exercises,  48;  at 
school  in  Fredericksburg,  50-8; 
studies  Latin,  50;  not  good 
in  spelling  or  grammar,  51; 
"breaks"  the  sorrel  colt,  51—3; 
prevented  from  going  to  sea, 
58-66 ;  fox-hunting  and  sur- 
veying, 66-70;  facial  expres- 


INDEX 


353 


sion  at   16  and  65  compared, 
70-1;  attack  of  ague,  71;  sur- 
veying Fairfax  estates,    71-6; 
first    journal,    74-6;  describes 
Indian  war  dance,  75-6;  writes 
love    "poetry,"    77-8;  county 
surveyor,      79—80;  lessons     in 
military    tactics     and     broad- 
sword, 86;  goes  with  Lawrence 
to    Barbadoes,    87-91 ;  journal 
of  Barbadoes,  87-90;  sees  play 
of     "George      Barnwell, "    90; 
suffers     with     smallpox,      90; 
returns    to    Va.,     91;  inherits 
Mount   Vernon,    95 ;  envoy   to 
Ohio  country,  98-112;   Indian 
council    at    Logstown,    103-4; 
on  to  Venango,  105;  sups  with 
French  there,    106-7;    to  fort 
on  French  Creek,   107;    starts 
home,    1 08;  narrowly   escapes 
shooting,     109;     narrowly    es- 
capes drowning,  no;  delivers 
French     reply     to     Gov.     of 
Va.,      in;  Col.      Washington, 
115—16;  journal  of   1754,  116— 
20;  his   first    battle,    124;  de- 
fends    action,     125-8;     Great 
Meadows  and  Fort  Necessity, 
129-35;  capitulates,  133;   end 
of     first      campaign,      137-8; 
trouble  with  governor,  139-43; 
Braddock's     aide,     141-55;  ill 
with  fever,  146;  battle  of  Fort 
Duquesne,     146-50;  letter    to 
"Jack,"     152-3;  affected     by 
sufferings  at  Winchester,  153— 
5;  goes  to  Boston,  156-9;  calls 
on  Mary  Philipse,  159;  broken 
in  health,   161;  pays  court  to 
Mrs.  Custis,  162-7  ;  fal1  of  Fort 
Duquesne,     165-6;  elected    to 
House    of    Burgesses,     166-7; 
marriage,   168;  a  Va.  planter, 


168-86;  aroused  against  Eng- 
land,   187-204;  "I    will    raise 
1000    men,"   195;   delegate  to 
Continental    Congresses,    193— 
208;     elected     commander-in- 
chief,  207—8;  commission,  209- 
10;  letter    to    Mrs.     W.,    211; 
leaves  for  Boston,   217;  takes 
command,  218-21;  hospitality 
222-3;  superintends    fortifica- 
tions,   222-55;   trials    with  re- 
cruits,   225—36;  breaks    up    a 
brawl,  236;  searches  for  pow- 
der, 231-7;  raises  flag  of  United 
Colonies,  239-40;  siege  of  Bos- 
ton,     242—54;  occupies     Dor- 
chester Heights,   244-8;    Brit- 
ish   evacuation,    249—54;    en- 
ters  Boston,   253-4;    letter  to 
brother      "Jack"     255-6;    re- 
moves to  N.  Y.,  258 ;  in  Phila., 
259-66;  returns  to  N.  Y.,  266; 
conspiracy  to  kill    or    kidnap 
W., 267— 70;  announces  the  Dec- 
laration,  272-3:  order  against 
profanity,  275;  declines  to  re- 
ceive    British     letter,     276—7; 
John  Adams's  estimate,   277; 
battle  of  Long  Island,  278-80; 
anger   at    Kip's     Bay,    280-5; 
action  at  White  Plains,  286-7 ; 
secretary     Tilghman     against 
him,   288;  weeps  over  loss  of 
Fort    Washington,    29 1-2;  let- 
ter to  Mary  Philipse 's  mother, 
293-4;  shares     only     blanket 
with  negro,  294-5;  misjudged 
by     friends,     296-7;  forwards 
Lee's  letter  to  Col.  Reed,  298- 
9;  many  trials  in  N.  J.,  301-2; 
writes     brother     about     Lee's 
capture,  304-5;    note  to  Cad- 
walader,  307  ;  crosses  the  Dela- 
ware and  takes  Trenton,  309- 


354 


INDEX 


316;  "intrusted  with  unlimited 
power,"  316;  receives  "hard 
money"  from  Morris,  316-19; 
battle  of  Princeton,  319-23; 
proclamation  about  allegiance, 
323-5;  retires  to  Morristown, 
326;  has  narrow  escape,  331; 
meets  Kosciuszko,  330;  weeps 
because  Morris  has  no  more 
money  for  soldiers,  332-3; 
battle  of  Chad's  Ford,  Brandy- 
wine,  333-6;  dares  Howe  to 
fight  again,  337;  battle  of 
Germantown,  337—45.  Hears 
of  Burgoyne's  surrender,  II: 
11—17;  writes  brother  John  A. 
"(Jack"),  16-18;  headquarters 
at  White  Marsh,  20;  letter  to 
Congress,  21;  at  Valley  Forge, 
23—49;  writes  to  Henry  Lee, 
27;  orders  arrest  of  insolent 
officer,  28 ;  three  days  from 
Orderly  Book,  29-31;  par- 
dons Michael  Wittman,  33 ; 
allows  Steuben  to  drill  troops, 
34;  prays  in  a  grove,  35 ;  replies 
to  Congress,  38;  writes  to 
Gates,  40-3 ;  to  Laurens,  44-5  ;. 
worries  Gates,  45-6;  Conway 
apologizes,  47-8;  writes  Col. 
Harrison,  49;  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth,  50-64;  angry  with 
Chas.  Lee,  52-5;  writes  to 
him,  60-1 ;  "did  W.  swear?" 
64-5 ;  attends  Presbyterian 
communion  service,  65-6; 
troubles  of  French  Alliance, 
67-73 1  writes  many  letters,  67- 
73;  at  ball  at  Bush  Hill,  73-5; 
Congress  discusses  W.'s  power, 
76;  writes  of  the  worst  trials 
of  the  war,  82  ;  letter  to  Lafay- 
ette, 83;  W.'s  personal  ap- 
pearance described,  83-4; 


humorous  invitation  to  dinner, 
84-5;  "a  wagon  load  of 
money,"  83;  mildly  repri- 
mands Arnold,  88 ;  writes 
Rochambeau,  89;  starts  for 
Hartford,  89;  "whom  can  we 
trust  now?  "  90-1 ;  orders  pur- 
suit of  Arnold,  91;  declines  to 
interfere  in  Andre's  case,  92; 
writes  about  Arnold,  93—4; 
' '  remorseless  Washington ! ' ' 
100;  chained  in  the  North, 
watching  war  in  the  South, 
102-17;  sends  decoy  letter, 
113—14;  gives  Clinton  the  slip, 
114;  writes  to  Lund  W.,  117; 
visits  Mount  Vernon  after  six 
years;  120;  meets  de  Grasse 
and  surrounds  Cornwallis,  121- 
2;  storming  Yorktown,  123-5; 
surrender  of  Cornwallis,  127; 
dinner  to  officers,  131—3; 
beside  "Jacky  "  Custis's  death- 
bed, adopts  two  children,  140— 
i;  to  Mount  Vernon,  141;  at 
ball  with  his  mother,  141-2; 
to  Philadelphia,  142-3;  to 
Newburg,  N.  Y.,  143;  writes 
on  state  of  affairs,  145;  de- 
mands Capt.  Lippencut,  146; 
"banish  these  thoughts  from 
your  mind!"  147-8;  on  the 
condition  of  the  army,  149-50; 
letter  to  Tilghman,  150-2;  to 
Greene,  153-4;  to  Hamilton. 
155;  to  governors,  155-6; 
news  of  the  treaty  of  peace, 
156-8;  celebrations,  158;  let- 
ter to  Lafayette,  159;  to  Gor- 
don, 160— i;  taking  leave  of 
his  officers,  161-3;  renders  his 
account,  163;  resigns  his  com- 
mission, 164-8;  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, 169-95 ;  invents  a  plough, 


INDEX 


355 


177;  writes  to  Robert  Morris, 
178;  on  promoting  the  West, 
178-81;  visits  the  Kanawha 
region,  181-3;  on  connecting 
West  with  East,  183-4;  a  visit 
from  Lafayette,  184-7;  con- 
gratulates Chastellux,  189; 
brings  guest  hot  tea  in  the 
night,  190;  "parts  with  his 
pack,"  191;  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati,  193;  contract  with 
gardener,  194;  Byron's  tribute, 
195;  convention  for  Consti- 
tution, 196-206;  arrives  at 
Phila.,  200;  writes  to  Madi- 
son, 200;  president  of  conven- 
tion, 201-3;  letter  to  Hamil- 
ton, 203-4;  to  Patrick  Henry, 
205-6;  elected  President,  208; 
farewell  to  mother,  208-9;  on 
way  to  N.  Y.,  209-11;  at 
Trenton,  209-10;  ovation  in 
N.  Y.,  210-11;  inauguration, 
212—13;  part  of  address,  214- 
15;  starting  the  government, 
216-17;  Supreme  Court  and 
Congress,  21 9^20;  Jefferson  vs. 
Hamilton,  221-3  ;  good  rule  for 
applicants,  224-5;  the  coun- 
try's credit,  225-7;  danger- 
ously ill  with  anthrax,  227-8; 
death  of  his  mother,  229;  visits 
Boston,  230-4;  note  to  Gov. 
Hancock,  233;  kisses  a  young 
girl,  and  kicks  a  man  down 
stairs  for  kissing  Mrs.  W.'s 
maid,  234-5 ;  "  Hail  Columbia," 
235;  parts  of  his  diary  from 
1789-91,236-45;  "speeches" 
and  "messages"  to  Congress, 
236-40;  plans  a  national  capi- 
tal, 241-3;  rests  at  Mount 
Vernon,  243;  visits  "Betty" 
at  Fredericksburg,  244;  recep- 


tion at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  246; 
returns  to  Philadelphia,  245; 
writes  to  a  poetess,  246; 
his  punctuality,  247;  hearty 
laughter,  248;  letters  about 
removing  to  Philadelphia,  249- 
52;  receives  key  of  the  Bastile 
from  Lafayette,  253;  first 
party  lines  drawn,  254-5;  for- 
gives a  debt,  256;  fondness  for 
horses,  256-7;  reproves  stew- 
ard's extravagance,  258-9;  an 
evasive  introduction,  260;  mos- 
quito joke,  261;  superintends 
"President's  Palace,"  262-3; 
wrath  over  St.  Clair's  defeat, 
263-7;  elected  again,  268-9; 
part  of  2nd  Inaugural,  269;  the 
scene  described,  270-1;  re- 
proves Genet,  272;  removes  to 
Germantown,  272-5;  indigna- 
tion at  Freneau,  276-7;  10,000 
people  threaten  to  mob  W., 2  67 ; 
yields  when  feasible,  277-8; 
Jay  Treaty,  278-9;  generosity 
to  Jefferson,  279;  writes  about 
Fulton,  280-1 ;  publishes  Fare- 
well Address,  283-4;  many 
farewells,  284-7 ;  repairs  at 
Mount  Vernon,  288;  a  good 
neighbor,  serving  on  jury,  288- 
9;  works  "while  others  sleep," 
289-90;  deeply  engaged  with 
Federal  City,  290-1;  remon- 
strates with  David  Burns,  291- 
2;  remark  about  a  niece,  293; 
his  physique,  294;  what  he 
ate,  how  he  dressed,  etc.,  295- 
7;  "jest  and  youthful  jollity," 
297-8;  letter  to  Kosciuszko, 
290;  on  love  and  marriage, 
298-301;  jokes  about  curiosity 
and  "graft,"  and  about  his 
own  death,  301-3;  alone  with 


3S6 


INDEX 


wife  at  dinner  first  time  in 
twenty  years,  303-4;  writes 
to  Adams  that  he  will  still  do 
military  duty,  304-6;  prepares 
for  war  with  France,  306-7 ; 
falls  in  mounting  horse,  307-8 ; 
writes  to  "Sally"  Fairfax, 
308-9;  rides  in  snowstorm  and 
takes  cold,  310;  reads  mail, 
311;  "let  it  go  as  it  came," 
311;  last  illness,  311—16;  last 
words,  315-16;  death,  316; 
final  arrangements,  316-19; 
funeral,  319-20;  buried  with 
Masonic  rites,  320;  "first  in 
war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen," 
329.  Words  of  Wisdom,  330-7. 

Washington,  George  A.,  W.'s 
nephew,  II:  195. 

Washington,     Harriot,     ni'.ce,     II: 

293- 
Washington    (Sir)   Henry,  time  of 

Charles  I,  I:   TO-II. 
Washington,      Lieut  .-Col.     James, 

killed    at     Pontefract     Castle, 

I:  10. 
Washington,  Jane,  infant  daughter 

of  Augustine  and  Jane,  I:   16. 
Washington,     Jane     Butler,     first 

wife  of  W.'s  father,  I:   13,  16, 

20. 

Washington,  Col.  John,  W.'s  great- 
grandfather, I:  12-13.  II: 

I93~4- 

Washington,  John  Augustine, 
("Brother  Jack"),  I:  13,  152- 
3,  198,  255. 

Washington,  Laurence  (Lawrence), 
in  Henry  VII I 's  time,  I:  4,  8. 

Washington,  Lawrence,  W.'s  great- 
great-grandfather,  I:  9,  12. 

Washington,     Rev.    Lawrence,    I: 

II,    12. 


Washington,  Lawrence, W.'s  grand- 
father, II:  194. 

Washington,  Lawrence,  W.'s  half- 
brother,  I:  13,  18,  20,  32,  38- 
9.  43-5.  5°-  59-6o,  66,  69,  81- 
95;  president  Ohio  Co.,  81-2; 
secures  military  appointment 
for  George,  86;  goes  to  Bar- 
badoes,  87—91;  visits  Bermu- 
da, 91-93;  death  93-4;  98, 
169.  II:  194. 

Washington,  Lawrence,  W.'s  cousin 
at  Choptank,  Va.,  I:  34,  51. 

Washington,  Lund,  W.'s  nephew, 
I:  294  II :  117. 

Washington,  Martha  (Dandridge 
Custis)  W.'s  wife,  I:  168-9; 
182,185,211—12,237,259.  II: 
152,  178,  185,  188,  190—1,  217- 
19,  220—1,  236—7,  240,  249-52, 
256-7,  265,  289,  295,  303,  310- 
17.  See  also  Custis,  Mrs. 
Daniel  Parke. 

Washington,  Mary  Ball,  W.'s 
mother,  I:  vi,  13,  20,  28-9, 
42—66,  314-16.  II:  142,  171, 
186-8,  208-09,  229. 

Washington,  Mildred,  W.'s  baby 
sister,  I:  13. 

Washington,  Robert,  married  1565, 
I:  7. 

Washington,  Samuel,  W.'s  brother, 

!:   *3.  37-8,  46. 
Washington,     Col.     William,     W.'s 

cousin,  II:   117-18,317. 
Washington     (Sir)     William,    with 

Charles  I,  I:  9-10. 
Washington     (city1),     see     Federal 

City,  Capital,  National,  II:  309. 
Washington    (:s)  Manor,  Sulgrave, 

England,  I:   4,  7-9. 
Wasshington,  Wassington,  forms  of 

family  name,  I:    4. 
Waterloo,  field  of.  I:   130. 


INDEX 


357 


Watson,  Elkanah,  II:  189-90. 
Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion,  I:  4-6. 
Wayne,  Gen.  ("Mad")  Anthony, 

I:  334-5.     337-     339-41-      II: 

5L    53.    57,    59-  77-8i.  104-7, 

152. 

Webster,  Noah,  I:   218.    . 
Weems,  Rev.  Mason  L.  ("Parson"), 

1:  ii,    iii,     21;  stories,     23-25, 

26—28.      II:   136; 260. 
Weschington  (Sir),  William de,  I:  3. 
Weshington,  William,  I:   2. 
Wessyngton,  Bondo.DionisiaJohn, 

Stephen,   William,  de,  I:  2-4. 
Westmoreland     (county),    Va.,    I: 

13,  18,  45,  65,  86. 
West  Point,  II:   90-1,  101. 
Whartor,        Anne    Hollingsworth, 

story,  I:   163. 

Whigs,  I:    199.      II:   101,  258. 
Whipple,  Commodore  Abraham,  I: 

191-2,  210,  212-13. 
Whipple,  Edwin  Percy,  stories,  I : 

230.     II:  329. 
Whipple,   Wayne,  Introduction,!: 

ix;  stories,    61,    68,    77,    132; 

corrections  in  translation,  133  ; 

152,    170,    192,   213,   214,   235, 

241,    263,   275,    277.      II:   55, 

69-  73.  J75.  l87,  l89.  2I3.  26l« 

263,  278,  289,  291,  292,  303. 
Whiskey  Rebellion,  II:   309. 
White     House,     Washington,    see 

"President's  Palace." 
Whiting,   Beverly,  W.'s  godfather, 

I:  20. 

White  Marsh,  Pa.,  II:   20. 
White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  see  Battles, 

also  I:  290,  314. 


White    Thunder,    Indian  chief,    I: 

105,  108. 
Wilkinson,   Maj.  James,  I:    303-4, 

306-8,     II:   15,  41-2,  44. 
William  and  Mary  College,  I:  80. 
William  the  Conqueror,  I:   i. 
Williams,     W.'s    schoolmaster,    I: 

45-6.  49.  65. 
Williamsburg,    Va.,    I:   13,   44,   98, 

101,    135,    145,    154,    162,  164, 

168-70. 
Wills,  Col.   Byrd,  Col.   Harry,  and 

Lewis,  I:   54. 
Wills    Creek     (Fort    Cumberland), 

I:  83,  101-2,  121, 123, 131, 134. 
Wilson,  Woodrow,  story,  II :   171. 
Winchester,  Va.,  I:   101,   127,  153, 

157- 
Wingate,    Mary,   lines  on    W.,  II: 

215. 

Wister,  Owen,  story,  I:   235. 
Witherspoon,  Doctor,  II:  41. 
Wittman,  Michael,  tory,  II:    31-4. 
Worcester,  England,  I:   10-12. 
Wyandot  Indians,  I:  84. 
Wyoming,    Pa.,    Indian   massacre, 

II:   76. 


"Yankee  Doodle,"  I:  199.    II:  130. 
Yellow    fever    epidemic    in    1793, 

II:  272-5. 
Yorktown,   Va.,   II:  55,    113,   119— 

40,  144,  146,  154, 168, 170, 191. 
Youghiogheny  river  and  region,  I: 

no,  122.      II:   181,  325. 
"Young  America, "  I:  iii. 
"Youth's  Companion,"  the,   W.'s 

book,  I:  49. 


It  is  an  agreeable  duty,  again,  to  acknowledge  the  liberality  of  the 
publishers  in  granting  permissions  to  use  valuable  materials  concerning 
Washington  and  his  time.  The  pleasure  of  recording  so  many  specific 
courtesies  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  their  aggregate,  as  listed  below, 
constitutes  a  practical  bibliography  of  the  best  in  literature  and  art 
pertaining  to  the  Father  of  his  Country. 

First  acknowledgments  are  accorded 

To  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  for  many  excellent  stories  from  their 
great  five-volume 

Life  of  George  Washington,  by  Washington  Irving,  which,  though 
written  two  generations  ago,  remains  a  standard  biography,  full  of 
authority,  incident  and  anecdote.  From  it  much  of  this  Story-Life  is 
necessarily  drawn;  from  that  thoroughly  patriotic  biography, 

The  Life  of  George  Washington  Studied  Anew,  by  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  the  author  of  "The  Man  without  a  Country;"  for  the  privilege  of 
re-copying  many  letters  and  documents  from  the 

Writings  of  Washington,  Edited  by  Lawrence  B.  Evans,  Ph.D.;  for 
a  comprehensive  selection  from 

George  Washington,  Patriot,  Soldier,  Statesman,  by  James  A.  Harrison; 
one  from 

Little  Journeys  to  the  Homes  of  American  Statesmen,  by  Elbert  Hub- 
bard;  for  two  valuable  excerpts  from 

The  Winning  of  the  West,  by  Theodore  Roosevelt;  and  for  the 
privilege  of  reproducing  numerous  portraits  and  battle  pictures  from  the 
Putnam  collection  of  steel-engravings  of  Washington  and  the  Revolution. 

Compiler  and  reader  are  deeply  indebted 

To  HOUGHTON  &  MIFFLIN  Co.,  for  many  frequent  and  copious 
extracts  from  that  judicial  biography, 

George  Washington,  by  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  whose  rare  abilities  in 
research  and  presentation  are  evident  in  the  many  selections  from  his 
painstaking  work;  for  that  dignified  and  authoritative  book  for  young 
people, 

George  Washington,  an  Historical  Biography,  by  Horace  E.  Scudder; 
as  well  as  for  that  inimitable  book  for  little  children, 

The  Story  Hour,  by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin  and  Nora  Archibald  Smith ; 
for  several  brilliant  periods  from  a  lecture  by  America's  first  critic  and 
litterateur,  published  in 

(359) 


360  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 


Character  and  Characteristic  Men,  by  Edwin  Percy  Whipple;  and 
several  graphic  descriptions  of  battles  and  forensic  scenes  from  one  of  the 
great  works  of  a  high  authority  in  the  philosophy  of  history, 

The  American  Revolution,  by  John  Fiske. 

To  THE  CENTURY  Co.  many  acknowledgments  are  due  for  uniform 
courtesies,  first,  in  allowing  the  use  of  excerpts  from  two  widely  different 
works  by  a  distinguished  novelist  and  technical  writer,  which,  though 
treated  lightly,  are  vividly  accurate  in  careful  details,  a  single  word 
revealing  intimate  sympathy  and  research,  namely: 

Hugh  Wynne,  Free  Quaker,  and 

The  Youth  of  Washington,  Told  in  the  Form  of  an  Autobiography,  both 
by  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  M.D.,  LL.D.;  for  extracts  from 

Washington  and  the  West,  by  Archer  Butler  Hulbert;  for  parts  of 
two  comprehensive  instalments  entitled, 

Washington  at  Mount  Vernon  after  the  Revolution,  by  Constance  Gary 
Harrison,  in  The  Century  Magazine;  also  for  the  privilege  of  reproducing 
two  superb  illustrations  from  famous  originals  by  Howard  Pyle  and  Percy 
Moran. 

To  HENRY  HOLT  &  COMPANY,  the  readers  and  publishers  of  thi: 
Story-Life  are  indebted  for  proffered  selections  from  the  graphic  novel, 

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Lord,  by  Mrs.  Hugh  Fraser,  of  which  Mary  Ball, 
Washington's  mother,  is  the  heroine,  and  for  many  sage  and  witty  com- 
ments from 

George  Washington,  by  John  Habberton,  best  known,  perhaps,  as  the 
author  of  ' '  Helen's  Babies,  "  yet  whose  editorial  and  critical  writings  are 
eclipsed  only  by  the  popularity  of  his  brilliant  work  in  lighter  vein. 
Thanks  are  herewith  tendered 

To  D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY,  for  a  single  selection  from  that 
entertaining  work  for  young  people, 

Tiie  Story  of  Washington,  by  Elizabeth  Eggleston  Seelye ;  for  several 
extracts  from  the  breezy  book, 

The  Boys  of  Greenway  Court,  by  Hezekiah  Butterworth,  in  which  the 
scene  is  laid  around  the  forest  retreat  of  Lord  Fairfax,  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley ;  also  for  a  number  of  thrilling  stories  from 

On  the  Trail  of  Washington,  by  Frederick  Trevor  Hill,  a  recent  book 
with  which  no  man  or  boy  with  the  true  sportsman  spirit  could  help 
being  fascinated. 

To  HARPER  &  BROTHERS  is  accorded  the  gratitude  of  publishers 
and  writer  for  permission  to  quote  numerous  excerpts  from 

Mary  and  Martha,  by  Benson  J.  Lossing  (copyright,  1886,  by  Har- 
per &  Brothers) ; 


SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  361 


A  Virginia  Cavalier,  by  Molly  Elliot  Seawell  (copyright,  1886,  by 
Harper  &  Brothers) ;  one  selection  from 

George  Washington,  by  Woodrow  Wilson  (copyright,  1896,  by  Har- 
per &  Brothers) ;  a  vivid  description  of  the  disastrous  battle  at  Fort 
Duquesne,  from 

Old  Times  in  the  Colonies,  by  Charles  Carleton  Coffin  (copyright, 
1908,  by  Sallie  R.  Coffin) ;  and  a  recently  published,  humorous 

Letter  to  Colonel  Bassett,  from  an  editorial  in 

Harper's  Weekly. 

To  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY,  for  numerous  extracts  from  the  biog- 
raphy of  one  of  the  most  painstaking  of  modern  students  of  history, 

The  True  George  Washington,  by  Paul  Leicester  Ford ;  as  well  as  from 
that  radical  work  entitled 

The  True  Story  of  the  American  Revolution, by  Sydney  George  Fisher, 
who  evidently  believes  in  giving  even  th€  British  their  due. 

To  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY,  for  a  story  of  several  ancestral  homes 
of  the  Washingtons  from  that  unusual  book  of  travel, 
In  Unfamiliar  England,  by  Thos.  D.  Murphy. 

To  THE  AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY,  for  consent  to  the  use  of  several 
stories  from 

Four  Great  Americans,  by  James  Baldwin,  Ph.D.,  and 
An  American  Book  of  Golden  Deeds,  by  the  same  author. 

To  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS  for  a  selection  from 
Martha  Washington,  by  Anne  Hollingsworth  Wharton. 

To  DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  Co.,  for  their  generous  permission  to  copy 

parts  of 

A  Short  History  of  the  Revolution,  by  Everett  Tomlinson,  and  from 
Letters  and  Recollections  of  Washington,  by  Tobias  Lear,  the  devoted 

secretary  who  describes,  minutely  and  effectively,  the  last    hours  of   his 

chief. 

To  HENRY  ALTEMUS  COMPANY,  for  a  number  of  connecting  stories 
from 

The  Story  of  the  White  House, 

The  Story  of  the  American  Flag,  and 

The  Story  of  the  Liberty  Bell,  by  Wayne  W hippie ;  and  for 

American  Character  Illustrated*  by  Washington,  in  an  effective  book 
entitled 

Work  and  Habits,  by  Albert  J.  Beveridge. 

To  LITTLE,  BROWN  &  COMPANY,  for  three  brief  extracts  from 

The  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  Other  American  Flags,  by  Peleg  D.  Harrison. 


362  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

To  DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY,  for  a  graphic  story  from 
Janice  Meredith,  by  Paul  Leicester  Ford. 

To  MOFFAT  &  YARD  COMPANY,  for  numerous  pieces  of  prose    and 
poetry  from 

Washington's  Birthday,  Edited  by  Robert  Haven  Schauffler. 

To  GINN  &  COMPANY,  for  several  short  selections  from  that  brilliant 
school  authority, 

The  Leading  Facts  of  American  History,  by  D.  H.  Montgomery. 

To  LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  COMPANY,  for  a  single  story  from 
The  True  Story  of  George  Washington,  by  Elbridge  S.  Brooks. 

To  THE  JOHN  C.  WINSTON  COMPANY,   for  vivid  descriptions    from 
the  spirited  novel,  entitled 

Pemberton,  by  Henry  Peterson. 

To  THE  CYCLE  PUBLISHING  Co.,  for  a  selection  from  that  ingenious 
compilation  entitled, 

Washington  Day  by  Day,  by  Elizabeth  Bryant  Johnston. 

To   THOMAS   Y.    CROWELL   &   COMPANY,'  for  assistance  in    tracing 
copyrights ; 

To  JOEL  MUNSELL'S  SONS,  for  numerous  extracts  from 
Washington's  First  Journal; 
The  Diary  of  Washington's  Journey  to  the  Ohio; 
The  Journal  of  1754; 

The  Journal  of  Washington's  Visit  to  the  Barbadoes,  all  carefully  re- 
produced, verbatim  et  literatim,  by  Joseph  M.  Toner,  M.D. 

To    the  successors,  heirs  and  assigns 

Of  LAMSON,  WOLFFE  &  Co.,  for  extracts  from 

The  Orderly  Book  of  General  Washington,  at  Valley  Forge; 

Of  TAIT,  SONS  &  COMPANY,  for  bright,  gossipy  extracts  from 
Stories  and  Sketches,  by  Grace  Greenwood; 

Of  ALEXANDER  BRADLEY,  for  many  intimate  relations  from 
Recollections  of  Washington,  by  George  Washington    Parke   Custis, 
the  General 's  adopted  son; 

Of  JACOB  ABBOTT,  for  one  extract  from  his  life  of 
George  Washington; 

Of   GEORGE    H.    MOORE,    for    two   selections   from   his    pamphlet 
entitled 

Libels  on  Washington; 

Of  the  publishers  of  the 

Portrait  Gallery  of  Eminent  Men  and  Women,  by  Evert  A.  Duyckinck; 


SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  363 

Of  the  publishers  of 

Pictorial  Life  of  George  Washington,  by  J.  Frost,  LL.D., 
The  Diary  of  George  Washington,  from  1789  to  1791,  Edited  by  Benson 
J.  Lossing; 

Of  the  several  publishers  of 

The  Washington  Story-Calendar,  and 

The  Franklin  Story-Calendar,  by  Wayne  Whipple; 

Of  the  publishers  of 

Anas,  from 

The  Works  of  Thomas  Jefferson; 

The  Life  of  Jeremiah  Smith,  Chief -Justice  of  New  Hampshire; 

The  Life  of  James  Sullivan,  by  T.  C.  Amory ; 

Old  Families  of  Virginia,  by  Bishop  Meade; 

Entertaining  Anecdotes  of  Washington   (Boston,    1833); 

Old  South  Leaflets; 

Alexandria  (Va.)   Gazette; 

The  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  Edited  by  Benjamin  Franklin; 

Aurora,  Edited  by  his  grandson,  Benjamin  Franklin  Bache; 

The  National  Intelligencer;    and 

The  London  Chronicle. 

To  the  English  publishers  of 

The  Young  Folks'  Life  of  Washington,  by  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Hyde; 

George  Washington,  the  Expander  ef  England,  by  E.  A.  Freeman; 

The  Poems  of  Byron; 

The  Virginians,  by  William  Makepeace  Thackeray;  and 

Origin  and  Services  of  the  Coldstr earn  Guards,  by  Colonel  MacKinnon. 

Thanks  are  here  expressed  for  innumerable  personal  courtesies 
tendered  during  the  years  required  to  prepare  this  Story-Life  for  the  press : 

To  Colonel  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT,  for  his  kind  consent  to  the  quota- 
tion of  two  extracts  from 

The  Winning  of  the  West; 

To  Senator  HENRY  CABOT  LODGE,  for  personal  interest  and  aid  in 
securing  his  publishers'  permission  to  quote  so  largely  from 

George  Washington,  the  great  biography  of  the ' '  American  Statesmen  " 
series ; 

To  Senator  A.  J.  BEVERIDGE,  for  the  use  of  the  excerpts  on   Wash- 
ington in  his  masterly  brochure  entitled 
Work  and  Habits; 

ToW.  W.  ELLSWORTH,  of  The  Century  Co.,  for  suggestions  as  to 
sources,  and  courtesies  in  the  selection  of  illustrations; 


364  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

To  H.  EARL  WOODS,  of  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  for  the  facsimile  of 
Washington's  Account  with  the  United  States  of  America,  from  which 
two  pages  are  reproduced  for  the  second  volume  of  this  work; 

To  JEAN  L.  GEROME  FERRIS,  for  kindness  in  arranging  for  the  repro- 
duction, for  the  first  time  in  a  book,  as  the  frontispiece  of  the  second  vol- 
ume of  this  work,  of  his  famous  painting,  "Washington's  Last  Farewell  to 
His  Mother  " ; 

To  THE  GERLACH-BARKLOW  Co.,  the  great  Art-Calendar  publishers  of 
America,  for  permission  to  reproduce  Mr.  Ferris's  beautiful  picture; 

To  CHARLES  S.  BRADFORD,  for  artistic  photographs  of  original 
paintings  and  manuscripts  published  herein  for  the  first  time ; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  FRIENDS'  FREE  LIBRARY,  of 
Germantown,  Pennsylvania; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  FREE  LIBRARY  of  PHILADEL- 
DELPHIA,  and  of  the  GERMANTOWN  BRANCH; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  of 
PENNSYLVANIA,  at  Philadelphia,  for  the  use  of  the  great  William  Spohn 
Baker  Collection  of  Washington 'books  and  engravings; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  MERCANTILE  LIBRARY  OF 
PHILADELPHIA; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  PHILADELPHIA  LIBRARY 
COMPANY; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  BOSTON  ATHEN^UM,  for  the 
privilege  of  working  with  the  greatest  Washington  collection  in  the  world; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  BOSTON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  SAWYER  FREE  LIBRARY  of 
Gloucester,  Massachusetts ; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts ; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  CONVERSE  MEMORIAL  LIBRARY, 
Maiden,  Massachusetts; 

To  the  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  of  Lynn, 
Massachusetts. 


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